A California bill wants to set aside money for pet care at homeless shelters -- what are the benefits and challenges of furry friends in shelters?

Homeless encampment resident Tammy Schuler kisses one of her pet dogs beside a row of tents and tarps that line the Santa Ana River bicycle path, near Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, January 25, 2018.
People living along the riverbed recently learned they must pack their bags and move on, or risk arrest, but alternative housing options are limited. Urban development network CityNet says it has helped some 200 people get out of the street since July -- but the steady stream of new homeless people is relentless. / AFP PHOTO / Robyn Beck / TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Veronique DUPONT, "Faced with camp evacuation, California homeless live in fear" (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

A measure proposed by state Senator Robert Hertzberg is looking to expand shelter to homeless people and their pets.

The bill, SB 258, would allocate $5 million to provide basic care, veterinary services and food to pets belonging to residents experiencing homelessness. With around a quarter of all homeless people across the nation living in California, and with up to 10% of those individuals being pet-owners, many people who are homeless seek pet-friendly housing. According to Hertzberg, this bill is an effort to reduce the number of homeless people sleeping on the streets. We discuss the pros and cons of pet-friendly facilities with local shelter-operators.

If you are homeless or have experienced homelessness, what do you think of having more pet-friendly shelters? Have you run into issues with animals in shelters? Or has owning a pet been a barrier to getting transitional housing?

Call us at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Anne Miskey, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena

Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, president and CEO of LA Family Housing, a homeless housing service based in the San Fernando Valley; she tweets

Tweets by SKGLAFH

Andy Bales, CEO at Union Rescue Mission, a private Christian homeless shelter in downtown Los Angeles' Skid Row