Jade Statt is the co-founder of StreetVet, a charity supporting people affected by homelessness and their pets.
Jade, her co-founder Sam Joseph, and their volunteers, support animals in 23 locations in the UK and there are 350 vets and nurses who are part of StreetVet.
It all started when Jade, a vet, was on a night out in London in 2016, and saw a homeless man whose dog had a painful skin condition.
She was desperate to help but couldn’t, and the image of that dog stayed with her, so she decided she wanted to make a difference.
Jade began going out and treating animals on the street, then connected with Sam, who was doing the same, and StreetVet began in 2017.
In this interview, Jade shares their story, the many hurdles and challenges along the way, and how you can support the work they do.
Listen in on the player link below, and scroll down to read a summary of our conversation, plus all the links to connect with StreetVet.
Topics and timings:
0.20 – Episode outline.
1.22 – Jade on how she started StreetVet-ing in 2016, and founding the charity with Sam Joseph.
2.32 – The volume of volunteers working in the UK.
3.12 – The different kinds of animals StreetVet supports from dogs and cats to rabbits, birds and snakes.
5.29 – Trust and some of the challenges Jade and Sam and their colleagues needed to overcome.
7.00 – Working with regulations to ensure vets were able to go and offer support.
8.39 – Connecting with Josh Coombes of Do Something For Nothing and how that helped build trust with the homeless community.
10.32 – The message Jade wants people to understand about people living on the streets with their pets and why they sacrifice a home to be with their pet.
14.45 – How the difficulties with the rental market and the cost of living crisis combined could lead to more pet owners being on the street.
16.36 – How 9/10 hostels don’t allow pets and why StreetVet started the Accredited Hostel Scheme.
17.39 – The Purina Better With Pets Prize and how this has supported the hostel scheme and now 60 accept pets and 50 are now being ‘onboarded’ to have the right set up for pets.
21.32 – What working with Purina has meant for StreetVet and how a corporate relationship works.
23.33 – The StreetVet film and why it was so vital to create a film with the sensitivity it deserved.
26.49 – How the Big Give is boosting funds for StreetVet and how buying a copy of my Pet Business Content Planner between 2nd – 9th December 2025 will mean £5 is donated. This is fund matched meaning the charity will be given £10.
28.07 – Some of the stories in the film – Debs and Bluebell and working with Steph Keelan to ensure StreetVet was represented appropriately.
32.30 – Jade shares some of the ‘ugly moments’ of the StreetVet experience and managing the charity along with her work as a vet.
35.30 – Why collaboration is important for StreetVet.
36.53 – Dean Coleman, one of Jade’s clients who passed away and how losing him impacted on Jade.
39.23 – Reflective practice and emotional support for volunteers with Rosie Allister from Vet Life.
41.46 – How being a StreetVet has positively impacted Jade’s mental health.
45.07 – How the awareness and support around mental health has changed.
46.30 – Homeless people cite their dog as their ‘support network’ research.
48.06 – Ways you can support StreetVet as a business.
50.06 – The Big Give and the boost this can give by doubling donations – this year’s target is £60,000.
51.03 – The Human Animal Bond Day on July 26th.
52.07 – What’s next for Jade and StreetVet and having vets and nurses in new locations, with the goal of two new locations a year for the next two years.
54.01 – Ways to connect with StreetVet.
Key quotes:
“If you were made homeless tomorrow, would you give up your pet? Most people say no – but have you really thought what that means?”
“There may be nothing else going well for that person, but that dog is their anchor in a chaotic life.”
“The commitment these owners show – putting their pet before themselves at every turn – is humbling.”
“StreetVet gave Dean a purpose, and now he’s part of our legacy. We honour him every day in our work.”
“The reality of life on the street is one of love, sacrifice and survival – and our film gives voice to that story.”
Links mentioned in this episode:
Watch the new StreetVet film on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h_FhJO3xHk
Find out more about The Big Give: https://biggive.org/charities/
StreetVet’s Accredited Hostel Scheme: https://www.streetvet.co.uk/streetvet-accredited-hostel-scheme/
The Better with Pets Purina Prize: https://www.purina.co.uk/our-impact/better-with-pets
Human-Animal Bond Day: https://www.human-animalbondday.com/events
Follow Josh Coombes/Do Something for Nothing: https://www.instagram.com/dosomethingfornothing
Buy a copy of the Pet Business Content Planner: https://rachelspencer.co.uk/shop
Related posts
Jade Statt and the StreetVet mission to help homeless pet owners (2020)
Should you buy my 2026 pet business planner (£5 from each sale up to December 9th 2026 is donated to StreetVet)
Interview with Jade Statt, co-founder of StreetVet
Jade Statt shares how StreetVet began, what it’s like supporting people experiencing homelessness with their pets, and why their work is about so much more than vet care.
This is taken from a transcript of the full interview with Jade.
Can you tell us about the work you do?
“I’m Jade Statt, and I am a vet and what I do most of the time now is I’m involved with a charity called StreetVet.”
“StreetVet started in 2016 with myself and my co-founder, Sam Joseph.
“I went out with a backpack on to offer free, accessible vet care to pets belonging to those experiencing homelessness.
“It has grown dramatically since then, and it’s now a registered charity.”
What kind of animals do you care for?
“When StreetVet started, I was mostly thinking about dogs, I have to be honest. But yeah, it’s about 80% dogs.
“We do have quite a few cats… We’ve got a bit of everything, to be honest. We’ve even had birds, we’ve had snakes.”
What can you do for pets out on the street?
“Anything that can be done in a consulting room, we will do on the street. So it’s essentially taking a veterinary consulting room out onto the pavement.
“We will vaccinate, we’ll microchip, we’ll do a full examination, we’ll dispense medication, we’ll take blood, we’ll sample lumps, test urine…
“We want to do as much as we can with the owners present, in an environment where they feel safe and comfortable.”
Can you explain why trust is such a big part of what you do?
“It’s a really intimidating thing to have somebody come over to you and offer help for the one thing that means everything to you.
“You are immediately guarded and suspicious and defensive.
“At the start, I thought I’d be going up to people and offering help and it would be well received… People weren’t rude or ungrateful – they were just frightened.”
How did you overcome that?
“It was through Josh Coombes, who is the hairdresser behind Do Something For Nothing. He already knew the people we were speaking to.
“So I was doing the dogs, he was doing the hair, and it made the experience so much better.
“That’s the key – it’s about a relationship. And that’s the model StreetVet uses now.”
What would you say to people who judge homeless people with pets?
“If you were made homeless tomorrow, would you give up your pet? And everybody says, ‘No, of course I wouldn’t.’ But have you actually thought about what that means?
“There’s this perception that people have pets for sympathy, but that is not worth the flip side.
“You can’t go in a shop. You can’t go to the doctor, the hospital, rehab. You can’t get into a hostel.”
“They prioritise their pet over themselves – absolutely.”
Tell us about the StreetVet Accredited Hostel Scheme
“I didn’t realise that people were being excluded from hostels because they had a pet, and being termed voluntarily or intentionally homeless. I just couldn’t quite get my head around that.
“We started to think, ‘OK, why is a hostel not letting a pet in? Do they need a crate, food?’ So we created the accredited hostel scheme.
“We’re about 60 accredited hostels now, with another 50 onboarding.”
How can pet businesses support this?
“We are in need of a cat litter partner, always looking for tough, non-destructible toys, beds, and poo bags.
“If we’ve got a named partner, when we get a new hostel onboarded, we can just make a request to be sent straight to them.”
Can you tell us about the StreetVet film?
“We’d had lots of offers from production companies over the years, but none of them gave the right voice to our clients.
“So we decided to do it ourselves working with a fantastic independent producer, Steph Doolan, who has ensured the film gives space to our clients to tell their story.
“It’s about celebrating the human-animal bond in its most impactful form.”
Tell us about one of the stories in the film
“Debs has a gorgeous dog called Bluebell. She was fleeing domestic violence and ended up experiencing homelessness.
“Her bond with Bluebell is just nothing short of beautiful. When I first met her, Bluebell was really fearful, very protective of Debs…
“But now, Debs has just signed up to be a StreetVet volunteer.”
You mentioned Dean, who has been a huge part of StreetVet, can you share what happened?
“Dean was a client I met through StreetVet. We became really good friends, we spoke most days.
“He went on Lorraine with me. We did a session with him and his dog, and a week later, both him and his dog were dead.
“I just felt this overwhelming responsibility. What have I done? I created this vehicle where people like me – who are fixers – will end up heartbroken.
“We now do reflective practice every month for our volunteers. We have access to mental health first aid training. That was all shaped by what happened with Dean.”
How has this work affected your own mental health?
“I’ve had recurrent depression many times – but not since starting StreetVet, actually.
“I’ve gone from being a full-time vet to now having a mix of things that help my wellbeing – working with StreetVet, looking after my son, animals…
“I have a lot of access to remarkable humans now. That must have helped me too.”
What’s next for StreetVet?
“We’re going to be opening two new locations a year for the next five years, in collaboration with Battersea.
“We’ve also started a day centre accreditation scheme, for places where people can come in off the street with their dog for a few hours.”
How can people get involved or support you?
“If they want to donate products, host raffles, do percentage of sale campaigns, we’re always open to that.
“We’ve had people make paw print memories, donate beds, or help with content. Email info@streetvet.org.uk and we can direct you to the right place.”
