To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to modify and upgrade structures to serve as interim and permanent housing to accommodate unhoused individuals with pets, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Crow (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Pettersen, and Mr. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Providing for Unhoused People and Pets Act (PUPP Act) creates a new grant program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help local governments and nonprofits build or renovate homeless shelters and housing that allow residents to keep their pets. The program addresses a significant barrier to housing for homeless individuals: many shelters do not allow pets, forcing people to choose between housing and their animal companions.
Who Benefits and How
Local governments, nonprofit organizations, and homeless shelter operators gain access to competitive federal grants (up to $5 million annually from 2026-2030) to acquire, renovate, or construct pet-friendly homeless housing facilities. Veterinary service providers benefit from requirements that housing facilities provide basic pet care including spay/neuter, vaccinations, and wellness examinations. Mental health providers, substance use treatment programs, and construction contractors receive revenue opportunities through mandated supportive services and facility upgrades. Most importantly, homeless individuals and families with pets benefit from access to housing that accommodates their companion animals.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers fund the program at $5 million per year. Grant recipients face compliance requirements including providing on-site supportive services (mental health, employment, substance use assistance), veterinary care for pets, coordination with local homeless service networks, and annual reporting to USDA on program effectiveness and costs. USDA administrators take on new responsibilities managing the competitive grant program, reviewing applications, and overseeing compliance.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes USDA to award competitive grants for acquiring, renovating, or constructing homeless housing facilities that accommodate pets
- Requires grant-funded housing to provide supportive services (mental health, employment assistance, substance use treatment) and basic veterinary care for pets
- Mandates coordination with HUD and local Continuum of Care homeless service networks
- Appropriates $5 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030
- Requires annual reports from grant recipients detailing activities, costs, and program effectiveness
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Authorizes USDA to make grants for modifying structures to provide interim and permanent housing for unhoused individuals with pets
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Address homelessness barrier caused by pet ownership by providing federal grants for pet-friendly housing facilities"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Homeless individuals and families with pets
- Local governments and nonprofits providing homeless services
- Veterinary service providers
- Animal welfare organizations (as partners)
- Social service providers
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal taxpayers (appropriation of M annually)
- Grant recipients (compliance and reporting requirements)
- USDA (administrative burden of grant program)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "hud_secretary"
- → Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A unit of general local government, a nonprofit organization, or an entity providing housing/shelters for homeless persons (excludes animal welfare organizations unless partnering)
As defined in section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302)
Any housing or shelter that does not provide permanent housing, including transitional housing and emergency shelters
As defined in section 401 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11360)
Any domesticated animal normally maintained as a companion or pet animal near the owner (dogs including service dogs, cats, ferrets, gerbils, mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, birds)
Secretary of Agriculture
As defined in section 102(a)(1) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302(a)(1))
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology