RTS partners with the City of Victoria and BC Housing to expand pet care support

Recovery Tails Society is partnering with the City of Victoria and BC Housing to help more people access support without leaving their pets without care.

The City of Victoria and BC Housing are investing a combined $90,000 in the Victoria Pet Care Access Support Program, delivered by RTS. The program launches October 1, 2026 and will support people living in Victoria who need temporary pet care while accessing treatment, hospitalization, stabilization, recovery programs, or more stable housing.

Building on community support

RTS began with volunteer foster homes, donations, community generosity, and personal contributions from our founders. We kept seeing people who were ready to access support but had no safe place for their pet to go.

This partnership helps us build on that work. It supports the coordination involved in assessing requests, arranging care, supporting foster homes, and planning reunification. It also helps provide practical resources for animals and the volunteers caring for them.

How the program works

RTS arranges free, temporary foster care for up to three months. Extensions are considered individually based on the reason and foster availability.

Our priority during the partnership is people living within the City of Victoria, including people who are unhoused, couch-surfing, or moving between housing situations. A permanent address is not required to apply.

People can apply themselves or complete the community referral form with help from an outreach worker, hospital social worker, or another support person. All requests are assessed, and care is confirmed in writing before a placement begins.

We continue to review and process requests from other Vancouver Island communities. Please allow at least three weeks for us to review a complete application from outside Victoria. Placement may take longer. Foster homes can be located inside or outside Victoria.

Thank you for helping us get here

To everyone who has fostered, donated, shared our work, or helped someone make a referral: thank you. Your support helped build this program and continues to make temporary care possible.

We are grateful to the City of Victoria and BC Housing for recognizing pet care as a barrier to accessing support and investing in a community response.

Get involved

We are looking for volunteer foster homes. Tell us about your household, availability, and the animals you feel comfortable caring for. We work to match each animal’s needs with a suitable foster.

If you or someone you support needs temporary pet care, visit our Get support page to learn more and apply.

Become a foster · Get support