On December 8, Project Street Vet (PSV), a nonprofit supporting the pets of people experiencing homelessness, is launching its first NYC pilot with a local team of world class veterinarians and vet techs to provide services to the greater NYC area. PSV’s judgment-free model of mobile veterinary care has an urgent need in New York. According to the NYC Department of Homeless Services, there are more than 89,000 New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and it is estimated that up to 20,000 pets are living amongst them.
The Need
Supporting individuals experiencing homelessness in NYC looks drastically different than on the West Coast where PSV’s co-founder, Dr. Kwane Stewart, DMV began his career and launched his nonprofit; especially during winter. The vast majority of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in New York City seek temporary shelter within the City’s shelter system of which only a handful are able to accommodate animal companions. This leaves homeless pet owners to either sleep on the streets, parks and subways or find friends, family and animal shelters to take their pets when they need to stay indoors.
The Launch
On December 8, Dr. Stewart (@DrKwane) will meet with PSV’s NYC team including Dr. John Sangiorgio, CMO (CMO, Ivy Pets Hospital, LinkedIn), Dr. Stephanie Austin (@drstephanieaustin) and Dana Minacapelli (COO, Ivy Pets Hospital). They will work together alongside community partner Breaking Ground, an organization that supports the homeless by developing and supporting homeless New Yorkers with sustainable and affordable housing and programs. The new PSV team will join Breaking Ground as they visit clients with pets in need. The vets will provide wellness and preventative care including vaccines, deworming, flea and tick. They will also examine and screen for any ailments, some of which they will be able to treat and address immediately. For those pets that require additional in-hospital care, they will be referred to a local clinic and all costs will be covered by PSV.
The Impact
With support from title sponsor, Fetch Pet Insurance, PSV has evolved from what was once a one-man operation founded by Dr. Kwane Stewart to become a multi-team, multi-city effort to provide services to more than a thousand pets annually. Fetch became a sponsor for Project Street Vet in 2022 and committed to support their expansion and raise awareness for their mission through marketing and fundraising efforts. Since then, Fetch Pet Insurance created the 101 Donations Campaign, which has raised more than a half a million dollars for PSV thus far and partnered with other organizations to secure local funding for their community teams. Together, PSV and Fetch have launched 9 teams across 6 communities. NYC will be the 7th.
Source: Einnews
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