People, Pets, Love: Engaging the human-animal bond to build trust and improve access to health care for our most vulnerable neighbors

Individuals experiencing homelessness suffer from inadequate healthcare.

Barriers to healthcare can not only be physical, such as difficulty in transportation, but also social, such as a lack of trust in healthcare providers which can lead to an unwillingness to engage with healthcare and other social services.

Seattle Street Outreach Service aims to create a culture of health by a) providing healthcare in locations convenient for the unsheltered and low-income, and b) building trust by providing care for not only people but their beloved pets.

Care is delivered from the back of a refurbished ambulance, allowing a nimble, boots-on-the-ground approach to improving the culture of health for our unhoused neighbors.