ATLANTA — Looming evictions are threatening to bring an unprecedented number of dogs and cats to shelters in the Atlanta area, according to one of the area's leading shelter services.
Shelters for LifeLine Animal Project's Fulton and DeKalb County Animal Services have already been taking up to 50 animals per day this summer.
“When people lose their homes, pets end up in shelters,” DeKalb County Animal Services Shelter Director Kerry Moyers-Horton says. “Since our shelters are full, we have nowhere left to put these animals. Please consider adopting a new pet to help keep Atlanta’s animals safe.”
According to the Census Bureau, an estimated eight million pets could lose their homes in the next 30 to 90 days because of evictions nationwide. The Bureau also estimates that more than 400,000 metro Atlanta households are behind in rent.
As a result, all of LifeLine’s shelters are participating in fee-waived adoptions.
After a federal eviction moratorium was allowed to lapse in early August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new moratorium on evictions that would last until Oct. 3.
The new moratorium aims to keep millions in their homes and prevent the spread of the coronavirus delta variant.