Hosted by NACA LEADing Conversations - Bridging the Gap: Establishing Relationships Between Social Services and Animal Welfare
Pets can create a barrier to crisis services. Whether a survivor is seeking support for domestic violence, people who experience homelessness and need shelter, or those facing a mental health crisis and looking for treatment, pet owners will often delay care because they have nowhere for their pets to go. When organizations are siloed, we may miss opportunities for interventions that can support those in need and potentially prevent further harm to both people and pets. This presentation will explore the unique challenges pet owners face when seeking crisis services, tips for pet advocacy that you can provide to your community, and how BestyBnB helps to bridge the gap between animal welfare and social services to increase access to care and prevent owner surrenders.
In this session, you will learn:
The unique challenges faced by pet owners when seeking crisis services.
Tips for increasing collaboration within your community to support pet owners in crisis.
How BestyBnB works to bridge the gap in services between social services and animal welfare.
LEADing Conversations is NACA’s educational series designed to bring together professionals from across the animal care and control field to hear directly from industry leaders and subject matter experts on timely and important topics. The goal of the series is to highlight innovative ideas, share practical knowledge, and create opportunities for continued learning within the profession.
These sessions are open to anyone who would like to participate, and we welcome a wide audience, including animal control officers, shelter staff, administrators, and community partners. While anyone is welcome to register and attend, recordings of the sessions are later made available in the NACA member resource area, where members can revisit the conversation and share it with colleagues.
Presented by
Zoë Agnew-Svoboda
zagnewsvoboda@bestybnb.com
Director of Engagement and Program Development
Zoë has worked in animal welfare for over a decade. Prior to joining BestyBnB, she spent close to 8 years providing direct service to survivors of domestic violence by managing the pet advocacy program at a domestic violence agency in Kansas City, Missouri. With this program, she gained first-hand knowledge on the positive impact pets play in our lives and how the relationship we share with animals can be life-saving. Zoë regularly provides training on her vast knowledge of the connection between domestic violence and animal abuse, and how to provide pet advocacy services. In her role with BestyBnB, she partners with agencies to implement lifesaving programs for survivors seeking safety with their pets.
*BestyBnB webinars are geared toward professional development and are not intended to be utilized for therapeutic or psycho-educational purposes. If you are a survivor of domestic violence seeking help please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline.