Insights from Three Studies on the Consequences of America's Affordable Housing Crisis on People, Pets, and Animal Shelters

This seminar is part of the Animal Matters Seminar Series presented by Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy  

Housing insecurity for tenants has increased in severity in the last several years as rents have skyrocketed and eviction rates have, in many cities, climbed higher than even pre-pandemic levels, according to a 2024 Harvard study. Today, more renters than ever are experiencing at least moderate rent burden as unaffordability in the rental market hit an all-time high in 2022.  Housing insecurity directly impacts people’s ability to acquire and keep pets for life. There is a small, but growing body of research to better understand the impact of rental housing conditions on pets, pet owners, and animal shelters in the U.S. and how this issue relates to broader affordable housing and tenants’ rights social justice advocacy.

This presentation will share the results of three research projects, co-authored by our guest speaker Lauren Loney, a licensed attorney, researcher, and advocate crafting policies and lobbying on a variety of issues at local, state, and federal levels. Her talk will address the impact of restrictive pet policies in rental housing on pets, animal shelters, and the tenants who love them. Join us to learn about trends in pet relinquishment due to housing issues and several programmatic tools that may be most useful to mitigate the flow of these pets into animal shelters.

Lauren Loney is a licensed attorney, researcher, and advocate with more than eight years of experience crafting policies and lobbying on a variety of issues at all levels of government. Lauren previously served as the Staff Attorney and Policy Specialist for Human Animal Support Services where she implemented the organization's first equity-centered policy agenda and spearheaded research related to pets relinquished due to housing issues. Prior to joining HASS, Lauren was the Texas State Director for the HSUS, where she successfully worked to pass ordinances in Houston and Dallas banning the retail sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores and led state legislative efforts on a variety of policies including public contact with dangerous wild animals and pets in rental housing. Prior to joining the animal welfare movement, Lauren worked in affordable housing and environmental justice movements and now works to undo the traditional siloing of human and animal policy advocacy efforts. She has co-authored several publications and has given more than a dozen presentations on the intersection between animal welfare and housing justice. Lauren received her B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology from Mizzou and M.S. in Aquatic Resources from Texas State University and graduated with Honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 2017. Lauren currently lives in Washington, D.C., and in her spare time she goes backpacking in the mountains and loves to trail run and hike, usually with her dogs, Daffodil, Ranger, and Siyeh, and her partner, Michael.