What We Do

The CARe Van

Why the CARe Van Mobile Veterinary Clinic?

The number of homeless and at-risk veterans, elderly, and families are rising, and seven out of ten families in America live one paycheck away from homelessness.

Pets play a crucial part in the quality of life, mental and physical wellbeing, recovery, and keeping society relevant to those most struggling to stay afloat. Within this population, pet ownership serves to:

Encourage seeking help for both the pet and the person
Encourage a sense of purpose and responsibility
Increase safety
Increase interactions with others in the community at large
Increase the fulfillment of responsibility through the pet’s unconditional love
Decrease depression
Decrease risky behavior
Decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation
Allow for the construction of a positive moral identity
Allow for a sense of hope for the future
Allow for the construction of a positive moral identity
Allow for integration within the community, for purpose, and for what is often perceived as redemption

Our Goals

In Massachusetts, 7,565 people were counted as experiencing homelessness in January, 2017. This population includes families with children, unaccompanied adults, unaccompanied youth, veterans, and people experiencing chronic homelessness. Between 10% and 25% of homeless people have pets, varying by location. For most of these pets, there is no affordable veterinary care possible. For many of these people, their pet is their last connection to hope and a sense of family. In Boston, with a population of roughly 260,000 households, this means that 108,000 households are at risk. At least 50% of these households own pets. Abandoned and stray pets have significant negative effects on domestic and wild animal populations, human health, and even tourism.

Ways We're Helping

Improve the health of homeless and at-risk pets
Through maintenance care, decrease the spread of infectious disease within the animal population
Reduce pet overpopulation through spay and neuter clinics
Honor and acknowledge the importance of pets for family and individuals facing extreme circumstances
Provide on-site veterinary wellness exams including vaccinations, routine procedures, and laboratory testing
Provide rabies vaccinations and certificates
Distribution of animal food, leashes, collars, and other pet supplies

How We Can Make a Difference

The Community Animal Resource Mobile Veterinary Clinic - the CARe Van - offers free veterinary care to homeless and at-risk veterans and families' pets throughout the Greater Boston community.

The CARe Van provides compassionate, individualized care for clients’ pets in a clean, modern, mobile clinic outfitted with state of the art diagnostic and surgical equipment.

The CARe Van is staffed by experienced veterinarians, veterinary technicians, a general volunteer, and a driver/client manager, all volunteering their time.

By going directly to homeless veterans and other people unable to afford critically needed help for their pets, the CARe Van team builds relationships of trust and caring

Staffed by a volunteer coalition of experienced veterinarians and veterinary technicians from all across .

Massachusetts, the CARe Van provides quality wellness and urgent veterinary care at no cost to those in need.

The Clinic makes monthly, regularly scheduled stops at Veteran's Administrations and other locations.

Breaks down the barriers that keep homeless people and their companion animals from the care they need and deserve.

Funding

The CARe Van requires start-up capital as well as ongoing funding for annual operations. We are seeking corporate sponsors to fund:

Purchase of an X-ray machine
Purchase of medical supplies and equipment outfitting of the vehicle
Provide ongoing support for vehicle maintenance, upkeep, and operating costs

Contribute to quality supplies and staffing We Could Use Your Help If you’re interested in joining us to launch this venture, please contact us at info@EveryPetCounts.org We’d love to talk to you, get your feedback and grow our team in this important work.

Adam Parker, DVM
Marjie Alonso, CDBC,
CDBC-KA, KPA CTP

Get To Know Us

The CARe Van provides health services to pets of people in need of community support. As we seek donations and funding for full-service equipment, we currently provide:

Wellness check-ups
Vaccinations
Diagnostics
Care for routine medical conditions not requiring surgery
Referrals and recommendations for further care beyond our current capabilities

The CARe Van provides quarterly or biannual site visits to provide continuity of care for our clients, arranging for more frequent follow-up when needed.

The CARe Van is entirely staffed by volunteers, including the veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and all administrative and logistics helpers.