Christine Kim, founder of My Dog is My Home, joins us to discuss the critical intersection of housing justice and animal companionship. This eye-opening conversation explores how homeless services, emergency shelters, and housing policies can better serve people and their companion animals, challenging systemic barriers that often force families to choose between shelter and keeping their pets.

This episode explores:

• The difference between “pet-friendly” and truly “pet-inclusive” housing policies
• How co-sheltering programs successfully keep people and pets together
• The connection between breed restrictions and racial discrimination in housing
• Emergency disaster response protocols for families with companion animals
• Innovative solutions for accessible homeless services

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Christine Kim is a macro social worker with a specialized interest in building programs and policies that recognize the power of the human-animal bond. During her time working in supportive housing, Christine became acutely aware of the barriers people experiencing homelessness with animals face when attempting to access shelter and housing services. Christine’s research and work with human-animal homeless families includes a publication in the pioneering book Animals in Social Work: Why and How They Matter (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014), an exhibition for The Animal Museum called My Dog Is My Home and the founding of the non-profit organization by the same name. She served as the first director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare under Mayor Bill de Blasio, and she is the recipient of the ASPCA’s 2021 Public Service Humane Awards for her leadership at the NYC Mayor’s Office during the COVID-19 pandemic. Christine currently serves as Vice Chair of the board of directors for Animal Care Centers of NYC.

RESOURCES 

• Elon Musk Should Take a Hard Look at One Agency Truly Wasting Taxpayer Dollars
• Piglets Left to Die in Art Exhibition Are Stolen in Denmark
• We’re being nudged to eat meat. What if the tables were turned?
• More Than Half Of Brits Unaware Cows Must Be Impregnated To Produce Milk, Survey Finds
• My Dog Is My Home website
• My Dog is My Home’s virtual conference takes place March 25-27, 2025. Use code henhouse2025 for $65 off registration.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview.

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