Guest Blog: Yvonne Hong, Founder & CEO of Pets Of The Homeless
Everything you own is packed into a single trolley as you wander from place to place, searching for shelter from the elements. Somewhere you might be able to sleep for a few hours without being moved on.
For Atreyu, this is his reality. Every day is about survival.
Cold nights. Constant uncertainty. Never knowing where he’ll sleep. Barely enough money to feed himself, let alone his best mate, Tim.
Atreyu is sixty years old. Voice raw with emotion, he told me he never thought his life would look like this at sixty.
I noticed the thick hoodie he was wearing under his coat. The layers upon layers of clothes, which I bet still fail to keep the warmth in on these brutal winter nights.
But I also noticed the way Atreyu’s eyes sparkled when he spoke about his beloved senior boy, Tim.
Tim is his constant companion. His best friend. The one who keeps him going.
Atreyu proudly showed me the trolley contraption he had built. Tucked inside was a little crate lined with blankets and covered by a plastic sheet to keep Tim safe, warm and dry.
At fifteen years old, Tim is well into his golden years. He’s slower on his feet these days and his cloudy eyes struggle with the darkness, but Atreyu’s devotion has never wavered. No matter what challenges he faces himself, he always puts Tim’s needs first.
Too scared of the violence, substance abuse and unpredictability of rooming houses, Atreyu would rather sleep in parks and on the streets. When he enquired about public housing, he was told the wait could be up to seventeen years.
“We’ll be dead before then,” he joked, but the joke didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m just glad my wife isn’t around to see this. She passed away a few years ago.”
Atreyu told me about the nights his belongings had been stolen. About having to move constantly to avoid getting into trouble with local councils. About surviving on lentils and rice because that’s all he can afford.
One day, while accessing food relief, he asked a volunteer, “Can I please have an extra sausage for my dog?”
“I’m sorry, this food is for people only,” they replied.
“But my dog needs to eat too.”
Feeling defeated, Atreyu gave Tim his one sausage.
Noticing his disappointment, another volunteer asked if he had heard of Pets Of The Homeless and explained that we provide pet food support to people doing it tough.
That’s how Atreyu found us, walking all the way here, with his trolley full of things.
I packed a large bag of food for Tim, including dry food, wet food and a few treats. The joy on Atreyu’s face was priceless.
When I asked whether there was anything else Tim needed, he paused for a moment before saying, “If I could have an extra blanket for his crate, that would be amazing. The nights are getting a lot colder.”
I grabbed him a blanket and a few other essentials from the warehouse and noticed we had some delicious food left over from our corporate volunteers’ lunch earlier that day. So, I packed up a little bag for Atreyu with falafel wraps, some sweets and a can of soft drink. It wasn’t much, but I hoped it might bring a small moment of comfort and a welcome change from the lentils and rice he usually relied on.
As he loaded everything into his trolley, I told him I wished there was more I could do. He looked at me and simply said, “No, really. This means everything. Thank you.”
I gave Tim one last pat, then, before heading off to find a place to spend the night, Atreyu turned and said, “Knowing you guys are here to help me with Tim is such a relief.”
Right now, as the cold sets in, more people and pets are falling through the cracks. People like Atreyu, who are doing everything they can to survive while making sure their beloved companions don’t go hungry.
You can help vulnerable people feed their beloved pets this winter. Every bag of pet food purchased helps provide more than a meal. It provides relief, dignity and hope. Find out more about our virtual pet food drive here.
To learn more visit www.petsofthehomeless.org.au
About our Guest Blogger
Yvonne Hong is the founding director of Pets of the Homeless (POTH). After several years managing and supporting various pet rescue groups, Yvonne started POTH as a passion project in July 2015 to respond to the joint welfare needs of people facing homelessness and their much-loved pets.
As Founder and CEO, Yvonne is considered both the face and the driving force of the organisation, managing POTH’s operations, fundraising, communications and marketing. Her passion for her community and the welfare of others extends beyond POTH, where Yvonne was also a board member of her local community centre.