SAN DIEGO — An annual effort to help the pets of homeless individuals kicked off Friday morning.
The Helen Woodward Animal Center handed out dog sweaters and blankets outside Father Joe's Neil Good Day Center in downtown San Diego.
"Many of these pets have been with their owners since before they were homeless, it's a very strong bond," said Jessica Gercke, the PR Director of Helen Woodward.
"Seeing the way animals love people unconditionally, they don't care what their situation is; they just want to make sure they continue to feel loved," she said.
According to Gercke, the number of people showing up for this event has grown yearly. This is the event's fifth year.
Pet owners also were able to get their animals the vaccinations they needed.
This event comes as the downtown homeless population reached a record high for the sixth month. According to the Downtown San Diego Partnership, the latest count in January was 1,900.
"We hear more and more people who have jobs are still losing their places," said homeless advocate Michael McConnell.
"Because even if the rent stays the same, the cost of food and everything else, electric bills, everyone knows electric bills are going through the roof, so you have to decide, 'What are you going to pay for?' Are you going to pay the rent? Food? Electric bill? Health insurance? Something’s gotta give," he said.
Last month, the annual point-in-time count was conducted, which gives a better picture of the homeless population county-wide. Results won't be available for a few months.
"We're seeing people in areas they were never at before simply because there’s nowhere to stay downtown," he said. "Almost 2000 people are sleeping on sidewalks downtown, so people are trying to find different areas where they feel safer or closer to where they were housed."
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