Skittle, a brown and white brindle-colored pit bull, was devoted to her owner, Emily Dillon, and protected her while the pair lived on the streets of Indianapolis.
“I was an alcoholic then,” Dillon said, “and the dog would actually lead me places when I was too drunk to know where to go.”
In 2018, Dillon decided she wanted to detox inside a facility — which meant leaving Skittle. Many rehabilitation centers, homeless shelters and sober living facilities don’t allow pets. So, if Dillon and other unhoused residents are asked to choose between their well-being and their relationship with their pet, they often choose their furry companion.
But, Street Outreach and Animal Response (SOAR) Initiative on the west side of Indianapolis connects people in crisis with services while also providing free vaccinations, vet care and temporary shelter for their pets.
“Without the help of SOAR, I would not probably be alive, literally,” Dillon said. “I would have drank myself to death.”
The organization allowed Dillon to detox for about five days without worrying about Skittle’s safety or whether someone would take her to the pound. And Dillon has been sober ever since. Once Dillon was housed, she started volunteering with SOAR Initiative to provide street outreach and harm reduction services to unhoused residents with pets.
She said SOAR Initiative’s founder, Angela Hopson, “loves animals, but she’s doing it for the people. I thought it was the other way around at first but I got it wrong.”
A new crisis care model
After graduating law school, Hopson started SOAR Initiative in 2014 while working with Horizon House, a local nonprofit that provides wraparound services for unhoused residents. She experienced homelessness for roughly a decade as a teenager and young adult. While she didn’t have pets at the time, Hopson knows that animal companionship can be crucial to someone’s survival.
She started boarding dogs in her home so people could seek services and regain their confidence. SOAR Initiative also works to cultivate lasting relationships with pets owners so they’re comfortable reaching out for help before things get bad, not after. And Hopson said her model works.
“It may be many years, if at all, that we have to see that person’s pet again because now they feel more comfortable staying connected to their health,” Hopson said.
The organization, which became a nonprofit in 2018, expanded to help anyone in need, including veterans, domestic violence victims and people with disabilities. Now, SOAR Initiative operates out of a three-building site filled with pet supplies and a slew of animals — 30 dogs, 34 cats, eight parakeets, three ball pythons and one Columbian red-tailed boa constrictor, as of February 2026.
Some of the animals that stay with SOAR Initiative have blankets that are color coded with their rooms, some of which have framed artwork on the walls and twin XL-sized beds. Staff and volunteers have to reach up high to peek through windows or reach doorknobs, which are at the door to prevent animals from escaping.
Hopson said SOAR Initiative assisted at least 2,470 animals from roughly 1,419 families in 2025 and hopes to serve even more. Now the organization, which operates mostly on donations, is raising funds to purchase the facility Hopson uses and wants to construct another building that would help streamline services and provide a full animal clinic to complete diagnostics.
But, SOAR Initiative has faced some challenges. When Hopson first started, she said roughly 90% of pets were reclaimed each year. Now, it’s down to about 60% because the organization takes in animals that aren’t within its mission instead of letting pets die elsewhere.
Most people can’t wait to be reunited with their pets, but some change their minds, an owner dies or abandons terminally ill animals. On top of that, SOAR Initiative helps animal shelters that have reached capacity or dogs with viruses, who would otherwise be euthanized at a shelter. And local hospitals call the SOAR Initiative when patients don’t have family to care for their animal. That’s the case with Kitty, a cat that went without food and water for 12 days after her owner who has dementia was hospitalized.
“Unfortunately, all of her family’s in California,” said David Bishop, SOAR Initiative’s director of operations. “So, after talking to the son and everything, they said that even if mom is able to leave she probably won’t be able to reclaim.”
Although SOAR Initiative has many volunteers, the overflow of animals can strain the nonprofit, which now works off of referrals since it’s at capacity. It also turns SOAR Initiative into an adoption facility and an end-of-life sanctuary, which isn’t its speciality.
Still, Hopson is determined to serve pet owners in crisis. She’s spoken at many veterinarian conferences and helped organizations across the country start similar programs because she knows her model works.
“We’re here to help you figure out how to go in-patient earlier next time and not feel judged,” Hopson said, “so you’re not walking downtown naked next year and getting hospitalized and losing your place. I think that’s kind of what we’re good at. It’s weird, but that’s what we do.”
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Elizabeth Gabriel covers the south side of Marion County. Contact her at elizabeth.gabriel@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X at @_elizabethgabs.
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