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Housing Inequality in America

Emotional Support Animals & Mental Health

“ESAs are protected by law, but critics argue the system is being exploited by pet owners without genuine mental health problems.” These opening lines from a 2019 report by the British newspaper The Guardian about the emotional support animal (ESA) “epidemic” in America succinctly summarizes the conflict at the center of a rising debate about the prevalence of mental illness among pet owners. This page explores the benefits that owning a pet can have for a person's mental health as well as the barriers pet ownership creates for finding housing for those with mental health problems.

“Every time a peacock appears in an airport or a hamster gets flushed down the toilet, the row around [the use of emotional support animals] ignites again,” a voice narrates over footage of peacocks, hamsters, alligators, goats, and guinea pigs. “ESAs are protected by law, but critics argue the system is being exploited by pet owners without genuine mental health problems.”

These opening lines from a 2019 report by the British newspaper The Guardian about the emotional support animal (ESA) “epidemic” in America succinctly summarizes the conflict at the center of a rising debate about the prevalence of mental illness among pet owners—or whether new tenants are trying to skirt “no pets allowed” rules.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), housing providers, such as landlords or rental agencies cannot refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services” that would deny “a person with a disability the equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.” Under reasonable accommodations, the site lists both “a request to live with an assistance animal at a property where a housing provider has a no-pets policy” and “a request to waive a pet deposit, fee, or other rule as to an assistance animal.”

The next question for pet owners, then, is “What is an ‘assistance animal’?” HUD defines “assistance animal” as “an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a person’s disability,” clarifying that, “an assistance animal is not a pet.”

The ambiguity of HUD’s parameters for an assistance animal coupled with the relative ease of acquiring a letter from a mental health professional—for a fee—makes it easy to see how such a system could be, as The Guardian video proposes, exploited. Even in the United States, where there were over 200,000 registered ESAs in 2019, the “exotic animal ESA craze” has become a popular joke, reiterated in pseudo-serious news publications like this video from The New Yorker:

In the video, Marc Eskenazi creates a game of seeing the most unusual animal that he can take into human-only establishments under the moniker of ESA. The video is played for laughs, such as when Eskenazi’s doctor says, “I’m not gonna write you a letter for an emotional support animal. I’m not one of those websites that just hands these things out to whoever asks for one.” In line with the narrative cues, Eskenazi immediately goes to one of “those websites” and acquires a letter to register his emotional support pig…after paying the $200 fee.

This essay does not engage with whether or not ESAs’ protection under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) is being exploited. The reality is that, in America, there are ways for people like Joe Henney to get his pet alligator Wally registered as an ESA. Rather, the essay will explore the ways in which animals do provide emotional benefits to their owners and how pet owners must navigate a shifting rental housing landscape, one that is undoubtedly made more difficult by the accusations of exploitation; additionally, it will note that raising the cost of registering an ESA to deter fraudulent claims may contribute to those marginalized people—particularly poor people of color, who are at higher risk of mental illnesses like depression and anxiety and who would benefit from having an ESA—from being able to obtain ESA status for their animals.

In general, ESAs are used for people with depression and/or panic disorders who have varying levels of independence. These disorders can range from the mild—heightened anxiety on public transportation—to the severe—agoraphobia. Studies have found ESAs helpful in combatting anxiety disorders, with some case studies noting that the presence of an ESA allowed “previously housebound patients to go out in public and perform activities like grocery shop and eat at restaurants,” greatly improving their owner’s quality of life. ESAs have also been known to help handlers focus and to alleviate panic attacks and major depression; in fact, 70% of ESA users reported their animal having a calming effect on them.

Broadening the umbrella of “mental illness” from depression and anxiety that ESAs are typically associated with, other studies have found that pets, in general (even when they are not registered ESAs), provide mental health benefits for people with severe mental illness in supported housing communities. The concept of supported housing refers to “helping people with mental illness to secure independent housing in the community that is linked with flexible support services, including mental health services.” Despite the documented benefits to both physical and mental health that comes from owning a pet, many supported housing communities do not allow residents to keep pets. Arguments against keeping pets on rental properties include the potential for pet-related property damage, health concerns, liability issues from possible pet attacks, and, for tenants with psychiatric disabilities, concerns about a tenant’s ability to care for the pet and the tenant’s often restricted budget.

There have been extensive studies on the way that pets—as both pleasurable companions and registered assistance animals—improve the mental health of their owners and handlers, and yet many rental companies are hesitant to allow animals on their properties. People who suffer from mental health issues often use the FHA clause protecting assistance animals as a means to register their pet as an ESA and circumvent “no-pet policies,” pet deposits, and monthly pet rent. However, the up-front cost of registering an animal as an ESA can be a deterrent for those in precarious financial situations, such as students or those experiencing homelessness. While the video from The New Yorker was created in jest of such problems, the $200 fee shown in the video is not outside the realm of the cost of an ESA letter. The ESA Register of America tells users to expect to pay $100-$150 for an in-person assessment, while a letter from an online company could run up to $200. (These fees may not apply if you are currently seeing a licensed mental health professional, but that brings into the question the affordability and access of mental healthcare to certain communities.)

The debate about emotional support animals in the United States is far from over, but there has been ample evidence and a vocal push to make ESA registry more accessible and, in turn, for more rental properties to become more accepting of pets in general.

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Contents of this path:
1. Pets & Housing: It's "Ruff" - Introduction In 2022, over 70% of U.S. households own a pet , which means that 7 in 10 families take their pets into consideration when moving, buying or renting a home, or otherwise arranging their living situations. The following pages will explore 3 topics surrounding housing and pet ownership—inequalities surrounding how a pet owner’s race and/or age affect their access to quality housing; emotional support animals and their hotly-contended place in the rental market; and homelessness and pet ownership.
3. Emotional Support Animals & Mental Health “ESAs are protected by law, but critics argue the system is being exploited by pet owners without genuine mental health problems.” These opening lines from a 2019 report by the British newspaper The Guardian about the emotional support animal (ESA) “epidemic” in America succinctly summarizes the conflict at the center of a rising debate about the prevalence of mental illness among pet owners. This page explores the benefits that owning a pet can have for a person's mental health as well as the barriers pet ownership creates for finding housing for those with mental health problems.
4. Pets & Homelessness In the United States, over 552,000 people experience homelessness on any given night, and, of those, up to 25% own a pet. With the social benefits of pet ownership, people experiencing homelessness also face increased vulnerability: losing one’s pet prematurely to death or rehoming could lead to mental health crises, and pet ownership was often viewed as a barrier to health and social services, housing access, and employment opportunities.
5. Pets & Housing: It's "Ruff" - Conclusion Animals are a heavily integrated into human’s lives as companions, service animals (like guide dogs and medical assistance dogs), and more general assistance animals regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic class, or housing situation. What many people do not realize, unless they experience it firsthand, is the ways in which our relationship to pets can affect our access to housing opportunities.

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Contents of this tag:
5. Pets & Housing: It's "Ruff" - Introduction In 2022, over 70% of U.S. households own a pet , which means that 7 in 10 families take their pets into consideration when moving, buying or renting a home, or otherwise arranging their living situations. The following pages will explore 3 topics surrounding housing and pet ownership—inequalities surrounding how a pet owner’s race and/or age affect their access to quality housing; emotional support animals and their hotly-contended place in the rental market; and homelessness and pet ownership.
6. Emotional Support Animals & Mental Health “ESAs are protected by law, but critics argue the system is being exploited by pet owners without genuine mental health problems.” These opening lines from a 2019 report by the British newspaper The Guardian about the emotional support animal (ESA) “epidemic” in America succinctly summarizes the conflict at the center of a rising debate about the prevalence of mental illness among pet owners. This page explores the benefits that owning a pet can have for a person's mental health as well as the barriers pet ownership creates for finding housing for those with mental health problems.
Contents of this tag:
1. Pets & Housing: It's "Ruff" - Introduction In 2022, over 70% of U.S. households own a pet , which means that 7 in 10 families take their pets into consideration when moving, buying or renting a home, or otherwise arranging their living situations. The following pages will explore 3 topics surrounding housing and pet ownership—inequalities surrounding how a pet owner’s race and/or age affect their access to quality housing; emotional support animals and their hotly-contended place in the rental market; and homelessness and pet ownership.
2. Emotional Support Animals & Mental Health “ESAs are protected by law, but critics argue the system is being exploited by pet owners without genuine mental health problems.” These opening lines from a 2019 report by the British newspaper The Guardian about the emotional support animal (ESA) “epidemic” in America succinctly summarizes the conflict at the center of a rising debate about the prevalence of mental illness among pet owners. This page explores the benefits that owning a pet can have for a person's mental health as well as the barriers pet ownership creates for finding housing for those with mental health problems.
Contents of this tag:
1. Pets & Homelessness In the United States, over 552,000 people experience homelessness on any given night, and, of those, up to 25% own a pet. With the social benefits of pet ownership, people experiencing homelessness also face increased vulnerability: losing one’s pet prematurely to death or rehoming could lead to mental health crises, and pet ownership was often viewed as a barrier to health and social services, housing access, and employment opportunities.
2. Pets & Housing: It's "Ruff" - Introduction In 2022, over 70% of U.S. households own a pet , which means that 7 in 10 families take their pets into consideration when moving, buying or renting a home, or otherwise arranging their living situations. The following pages will explore 3 topics surrounding housing and pet ownership—inequalities surrounding how a pet owner’s race and/or age affect their access to quality housing; emotional support animals and their hotly-contended place in the rental market; and homelessness and pet ownership.
3. Emotional Support Animals & Mental Health “ESAs are protected by law, but critics argue the system is being exploited by pet owners without genuine mental health problems.” These opening lines from a 2019 report by the British newspaper The Guardian about the emotional support animal (ESA) “epidemic” in America succinctly summarizes the conflict at the center of a rising debate about the prevalence of mental illness among pet owners. This page explores the benefits that owning a pet can have for a person's mental health as well as the barriers pet ownership creates for finding housing for those with mental health problems.

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