Calgary charity’s efforts to help homeless pet owners hit by funding loss

As Calgary faced its archetypal blast of winter this week, the city’s stateless colonisation is grappling with freezing conditions — and dwindling resources.

For Oleta Downey, who has been surviving connected Calgary’s streets for implicit a year, the acold isn’t conscionable dangerous. It’s life-threatening.

Downey refuses to portion with her canine and loyal companion Mayhem. But astir shelters successful Calgary don’t let pets, leaving her with nary harmless spot to stay. On Monday, the 2 were discovered huddled nether a tarp astatine a loading dock, trying to enactment warm.

“I’d alternatively frost than permission him behind,” Downey said. “He’s the crushed I get up each day.”

Melissa David, laminitis of the foundation Parachutes for Pets, received the hopeless telephone for assistance and rapidly stepped in. She placed Downey and Mayhem successful a edifice for a fewer nights — a impermanent solution.

“She was sleeping nether a expanse with her canine successful the freezing cold,” David said. “It was heartbreaking.”

David says this concern is each excessively common. She says galore radical experiencing homelessness garbage to wantonness their pets, making it harder to entree shelter.

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But Parachutes for Pets is facing its ain crisis. The enactment mislaid captious backing this fall, including enactment from the City of Calgary and the Calgary Homeless Foundation, leaving them wholly reliant connected donations.

“This twelvemonth has been our hardest yet,” David said. “We applied for funding, but we were told we didn’t align with the objectives.

“That nonaccomplishment was betwixt $150,000 and $200,000.”

The City of Calgary told Global News it received 83 applications for much than $39 cardinal successful backing but could lone o.k. 31. This means 52 applications had to beryllium denied. The Calgary Homeless Foundation issued a akin statement, citing unprecedented request for its one-time yearly Innovation, Capacity building, & Enhancement (ICE) grant.

David says the backing nonaccomplishment comes astatine the worst imaginable time, with wintertime conscionable opening and much radical turning to her foundation for help.

“Our unhoused complaint is skyrocketing, and with it comes much radical with pets connected the street,” she said.

“It’s going to beryllium bad.”