Arizona Pet Project Awarded $207,000 from Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Grant to Support Removing Barriers to Care for Low-income Families and Those in Crisis with Pets
(PHOENIX – Sept. 3 2024) – Mercy C.A.R.E.S. recently awarded The Arizona Pet Project a 2024 Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grant in the amount of $207,000. Funding will be used to remove pet-related barriers to accessing human care for low-income, vulnerable, and disproportionately impacted individuals and households across Arizona.
“The Arizona Pet Project was created to address systemic gaps in our community’s policies and human service delivery system that leads to inequitable access to healthcare, housing, employment, and safety,” said Leanna Taylor, CEO of the Arizona Pet Project. “Through this generous Mercy C.A.R.E.S. grant, The Arizona Pet Project will directly support 400 individuals with pets, with the goal of retaining the human-animal bond in times of hardship and crisis to ensure they continue to receive emotional, social, and physical health benefits provided by their loving animals.”
The Arizona Pet Project has social workers on staff who provide case management services for individuals and families, including outreach specialists who can work with Spanish-speaking households and those experiencing homelessness, respectively. These team members have specialized training and experience in addressing both human and animal crises to ensure that people are not forced to choose between their own care and that of their animal companions. Data shows that people will prioritize their pets when necessary, including delays in leaving domestic violence, falling into or remaining in homelessness, feeding their pets instead of themselves, putting off medical, mental health, or substance use treatment, and not filling prescriptions.
In addition to this, vulnerable members of the community are having an increasingly difficult time caring for and retaining their pets, which are often their sole source of companionship. According to a study by the National Library of Medicine, financial struggles in caring for pets may lessen or negate the documented benefits of them. Due to rising costs of living, most specifically housing and food, 87% of low-income households are struggling to provide care for themselves and their pets, according to the University of Tennessee’s study on pet equity, leading to difficult decisions. These choices have significant negative consequences on an individual’s physical and mental health, housing stability, safety, and food security.
“People can reach The Arizona Pet Project directly and through referrals from social service agencies when they have clients who are unable to receive help because of their pets or because they are at risk of forced separation,” said Trisha Stuart, Mercy Care director of community relations. “Once they are connected, The Arizona Pet Project does a full needs assessment and develops a care plan that includes connecting clients with wraparound services including case management, temporary pet boarding, housing support, short-term motel stays, transportation, pet food, supplies, and veterinary care.”
Mercy C.A.R.E.S., which stands for Community Action Resources Education and Service, is Mercy Care’s community giving initiative. Through grant funding, sponsorships, volunteer efforts and board participation, Mercy C.A.R.E.S. supports AHCCCS’ Whole Person Care Initiative, which addresses social risk factors to improve health outcomes.
About The Arizona Pet Project
The Arizona Pet Project’s mission is to reduce the number of dogs and cats entering Arizona shelters by providing the resources needed to keep pets and their families together. For more information, visit www.azpetproject.org.
About Mercy Care
Mercy Care is a not-for-profit Medicaid managed care health plan, serving AHCCCS members in Arizona since 1985. Mercy Care is a local company sponsored by Dignity Health and Ascension Health. Mercy Care provides access to physical and behavioral health care services for Medicaid-eligible families, children, seniors, and individuals with developmental/cognitive disabilities. Learn more at www.MercyCareAZ.org.
