Pet-Friendly Temporary Accommodation from 01/04/2024 - Present Date
Case reference FOI2026/01204
Received 24 May 2026
Published 27 May 2026
Request
I am writing to you on behalf of Street Paws, a UK based charity who seek help end the cycle for pet owners experiencing homelessness. They do this by supporting hostels and temporary accommodation providers to become pet friendly along with staff training and access to free veterinary care. To improve their reach and better understand the issue at hand we are seeking information around the availability of pet-friendly accommodation in this Local Authority.
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we would like to request the following information.
1. Number of homeless hostels in your Local Authority area allowing pets to stay with their owners between 01/04/24- present date.
2. Number of alternative temporary accommodation provision in your Local Authority area allowing pets to stay with their owners between 01/04/24- present date.
3. Number of requests for accommodation from pet owners experiencing homelessness in your Local Authority area between 01/04/24- present date.
4. Number of people provided with temporary accommodation with their pets in your Local Authority area between 01/04/24- present date.
5. Type of accommodation (hostel, B&B, temporary accommodation etc) provided to homeless pet owners in your Local Authority area between 01/04/24- present date.
If your Local Authority does not currently capture this information; please give an indication as to why this might be.
Response
I am writing to you on behalf of Street Paws, a UK based charity who seek help end the cycle for pet owners experiencing homelessness. They do this by supporting hostels and temporary accommodation providers to become pet friendly along with staff training and access to free veterinary care. To improve their reach and better understand the issue at hand we are seeking information around the availability of pet-friendly accommodation in this Local Authority.
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we would like to request the following information.
1. Number of homeless hostels in your Local Authority area allowing pets to stay with their owners between 01/04/24- present date.
Answer: 0. The Service Area have advised we are not aware of any homeless hostels within the County of Herefordshire that accommodate homeless persons with their pets.
2. Number of alternative temporary accommodation provision in your Local Authority area allowing pets to stay with their owners between 01/04/24- present date.
Answer: 0. The Service Area have advised it is the council’s policy that pets are not allowed in temporary accommodation provided by the council under homelessness law. Exceptions can be considered on a case-by-case basis where the animal is a registered assistance dog and there is a proven medical need for an assistance dog.
3. Number of requests for accommodation from pet owners experiencing homelessness in your Local Authority area between 01/04/24- present date.
Answer: This information is not held. The Service Area have advised we do not currently keep records of whether applicants are pet owners.
4. Number of people provided with temporary accommodation with their pets in your Local Authority area between 01/04/24- present date.
Answer: 0
5. Type of accommodation (hostel, B&B, temporary accommodation etc) provided to homeless pet owners in your Local Authority area between 01/04/24- present date.
Answer: 0
If your Local Authority does not currently capture this information; please give an indication as to why this might be.
Answer: The Service Area have advised it remains the council’s policy that pets should not be accommodated in temporary accommodation offered by the council. On this basis, we have to date, not recorded such requests.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.