Pawster Nashville
Programs
Budget
$65,000.00
Description
The Crisis Foster Care program is Pawster Nashville's only program. When a pet owner is in crisis, Pawster Nashville places their dog or cat in a foster home until the owner is back on their feet and ready to be reunited. This keeps the pet from becoming homeless, and it keeps the family together.
Clients come through direct contact or referral from partner organizations, including Metro Animal Care & Control's "Safety Net Program," rescue organizations, addiction treatment centers, homelessness advocacy organizations, and domestic violence shelters. A crisis includes any situation in which the owner is temporarily unable to care for their pet, that has an estimated end-date. If the client's situation is a good fit for crisis foster care, the organization matches the pet with an appropriate foster home, based on foster home preferences for animal characteristics and length of foster.
Program Successes
The first Pawster Pet was a cat named Kimora. Kimora's owner is a low-wage healthcare worker who is being transferred to a hospital in a different state, in order to work on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. His lease ran out a month prior to his move, and he cannot afford to pay for pet-friendly temporary housing or pet boarding. When he came to Pawster Nashville, he had run out of options. He was ready to surrender his cat.
But Pawster Nashville placed Kimora with a foster home who will take care of her until her owner is ready to be reunited.
What's more, this foster mom knew exactly how Kimora's owner feels. As a child, someone watched her family dog when her family moved back to the U.S. following her father's military deployment.
Now she truly had the opportunity to pay it forward. The daughter of a soldier was able to help a healthcare worker on the front lines of the pandemic, in the same situation she experienced as a child.
Beneficiaries
People with substance use disorder
Economically disadvantaged people
Animals
Long-term Success
Long-term success is defined as a reduction in animal surrenders. Every pet fostered by Pawster Nashville is a pet who is not surrendered.
In the last recorded year, 22% of animals at Nashville's municipal shelter were surrendered by their owner. According to national surveys, 30% of pet owners who surrender their pets have indicated that temporary pet care would have helped them keep their pets.
Thus, Pawster Nashville's goal is to reduce pet surrenders in Nashville by 5% by the end of 2025.
Short-term Success
By the end of 2023, Pawster Nashville plans to foster 125 pets, reuniting at least 90% with their owners.
Program Success Monitored By
The key metric used to evaluate the outcomes of the Crisis Foster Care program is the Reunite Rate: Of the pets fostered through Pawster Nashville, how many were reunited with their owners? The goal is to maintain a Reunite Rate of at least 90%.
The organization will follow up with clients each year following the foster period, in order to determine the long-term impact of crisis foster care.
Every pet owner will also be asked to complete a survey after their foster period, which we will use to analyze 1) Basic profiles of clients, 2) Why clients seek crisis foster care, 3) Predicted versus actual lengths of foster period, 4) Client satisfaction with services.
By comparing the overall Nashville surrender rate prior to Pawster Nashville's launch with each ensuing year, the organization can measure Pawster Nashville's contribution to lowering the overall surrender rate.
Program Areas Served
Middle Tennessee, Tennessee
$65,000.00
Description
The Crisis Foster Care program is Pawster Nashville's only program. When a pet owner is in crisis, Pawster Nashville places their dog or cat in a foster home until the owner is back on their feet and ready to be reunited. This keeps the pet from becoming homeless, and it keeps the family together.
Clients come through direct contact or referral from partner organizations, including Metro Animal Care & Control's "Safety Net Program," rescue organizations, addiction treatment centers, homelessness advocacy organizations, and domestic violence shelters. A crisis includes any situation in which the owner is temporarily unable to care for their pet, that has an estimated end-date. If the client's situation is a good fit for crisis foster care, the organization matches the pet with an appropriate foster home, based on foster home preferences for animal characteristics and length of foster.
Program Successes
The first Pawster Pet was a cat named Kimora. Kimora's owner is a low-wage healthcare worker who is being transferred to a hospital in a different state, in order to work on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. His lease ran out a month prior to his move, and he cannot afford to pay for pet-friendly temporary housing or pet boarding. When he came to Pawster Nashville, he had run out of options. He was ready to surrender his cat.
But Pawster Nashville placed Kimora with a foster home who will take care of her until her owner is ready to be reunited.
What's more, this foster mom knew exactly how Kimora's owner feels. As a child, someone watched her family dog when her family moved back to the U.S. following her father's military deployment.
Now she truly had the opportunity to pay it forward. The daughter of a soldier was able to help a healthcare worker on the front lines of the pandemic, in the same situation she experienced as a child.
Beneficiaries
People with substance use disorder
Economically disadvantaged people
Animals
Long-term Success
Long-term success is defined as a reduction in animal surrenders. Every pet fostered by Pawster Nashville is a pet who is not surrendered.
In the last recorded year, 22% of animals at Nashville's municipal shelter were surrendered by their owner. According to national surveys, 30% of pet owners who surrender their pets have indicated that temporary pet care would have helped them keep their pets.
Thus, Pawster Nashville's goal is to reduce pet surrenders in Nashville by 5% by the end of 2025.
Short-term Success
By the end of 2023, Pawster Nashville plans to foster 125 pets, reuniting at least 90% with their owners.
Program Success Monitored By
The key metric used to evaluate the outcomes of the Crisis Foster Care program is the Reunite Rate: Of the pets fostered through Pawster Nashville, how many were reunited with their owners? The goal is to maintain a Reunite Rate of at least 90%.
The organization will follow up with clients each year following the foster period, in order to determine the long-term impact of crisis foster care.
Every pet owner will also be asked to complete a survey after their foster period, which we will use to analyze 1) Basic profiles of clients, 2) Why clients seek crisis foster care, 3) Predicted versus actual lengths of foster period, 4) Client satisfaction with services.
By comparing the overall Nashville surrender rate prior to Pawster Nashville's launch with each ensuing year, the organization can measure Pawster Nashville's contribution to lowering the overall surrender rate.
Program Areas Served
Middle Tennessee, Tennessee
