Little-Known Rule Allows Pets in Federal Housing
By Diane C. Lade
Originally published in the Sun-Sentinel, February 5, 2002
For four years, Velvel has been Harvey Schiller's roommate and possibly his best friend. He was there when Schiller was pulling his life together after a divorce and a stroke, the one who cheerfully nudged him outside when Schiller still was using a cane and could barely walk.
"I took good care of Velvel and he took good care of me," said Schiller, 63.
But when he had to move about a year ago, he found no senior complexes would rent to him and his little dog, a papillon with a tail like a firecracker's explosion and a face like a fox. "I took a room in a trailer for a while. It wasn't even a consideration, leaving Velvel behind," said Schiller.
Then he found a place where taking pets, like Velvel, wasn't just a policy. It's the law.
Schiller now is living at the Levey Senior Residence in Sunrise, a 123-unit federally subsidized apartment house for seniors and the disabled on limited incomes. Dogs, cats, birds and even fish are free to live there, too—as they are in any residential building constructed with money from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD rules, which are part of federal law, state that building owners or managers "may not discriminate" against elderly and disabled tenants who have household pets. It's been the case since the mid-1980s.
And it may be one of the federal government's best-kept secrets—just because most people, accustomed to retirement living's "no pets allowed" mantra, can't believe it's true.
"When I asked if they allowed dogs, I was so happy when they said yes," said Schiller, a retired insurance agent.
Cherie Wachter, marketing director for the Humane Society of Broward County, sees plenty of dogs and cats huddled in the shelter's cages because their owners had to move from their homes and their animal companions could not come with them. Most retirement complexes, not to mention assisted living centers and nursing homes, don't allow pets.
"These usually aren't little kittens or puppies but mature pets that have been doted on by someone who now has to leave them behind. It's extremely difficult for these seniors," Wachter said.
Judy Bogos, who was working in a senior building when the pet policy was instituted, remembers HUD making the move "because they realized the animals served as companions to the seniors and kept them healthier," she said. She now manages two HUD buildings in Boca Raton operated by the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and estimates about 8 percent of the seniors in her 204 apartments have pets.
Better health
One is a woman whose neighbors pampered her cat while she was in the hospital recently.
"When this lady came home, the cat was so excited to see her," Bogos said. "Now she has a cat lying next to her and purring, and she feels better."
The Delta Society, a Washington state-based nonprofit that promotes programs connecting people and animals, catalogs research supporting the pet prescription.
One 1990 study of 100 Medicare patients found those who owned dogs had 21 percent fewer doctor visits than non-dog owners. Other research has suggested pet owners get more exercise and have lower blood pressure, according to the Delta Society.
Last year, HUD extended the rules so that anyone living in federally constructed public housing—not just seniors—could have pets. But so far, despite meetings and notices about the change, families aren't rushing to take advantage of the change.
"They tell us they have all they can do to take care of their children," said Joan Clay, director of public housing operations for the Broward County Housing Authority.
HUD allows each managing agency to set pet policies and most South Florida senior buildings have similar rules. A pet deposit, which can be as much as $300, is required. Dogs must be under a certain weight, usually around 15 pounds.
Pets must be kept quiet and under control.
The Jewish Federation of Broward County, which runs several buildings totaling 403 apartments, also specifically forbids pet snakes or poultry. "We had some seniors moving up from Miami who wanted to bring their chickens with them," explained John Sharkey, whose consulting company manages the federation buildings, including the Levey residence.
A helpful hound
Both Sharkey and Bogos have found their senior tenants take excellent care of their pets; neither has had to remove an animal because it was neglected or a nuisance. And they also don't get complaints from the petless tenants.
When he first moved into Levey, Schiller worried his new neighbors would resent Velvel, whose name means "William" in Yiddish.
"But they love him. They're always petting him," Schiller said.
Velvel even has a job: He visits Alzheimer's patients at the Daniel Cantor Senior Center next door, where he's such a hit that the staff wants to increase his hours.
Many center seniors live in the nearby pet-free Sunrise Lakes complex and some have tearfully told Schiller they miss their animal friends.
"Everyone looks forward to seeing Velvel," Schiller said of the friend who shares his apartment and his life. "You can't believe how their faces light up."
