In these times of unabashed alternative facts, My Dog is My Home believes it is more important than ever to uphold and highlight one of our foundational values, which states--
Approaches that are creative and grounded in evidence are not only possible but necessary to address complex and intersecting social problems.
Through our commitment to building the evidence base* for addressing homelessness and animal companionship, we are fighting the rise of scientific ignorance in public policy. To safeguard our operations from personal agendas and ego, we commit to basing our actions on an accurate understanding of the problem and its solutions. We do this by working to "distinguish between what feels good and what's true"**, which is why we begin every project in a new community with a thorough assessment. If the results of the assessment show something different than what we expect to see, our understanding of the problem is enriched by the new information and our approaches are tailored to meet the needs that have revealed themselves through the scientific process. In short, data matters in our endeavor to produce the greatest positive impact possible.
If you didn't get a chance to read our assessment on Bloomington, IN in last month's newsletter, click HERE for the report.
*What is evidence based practice? As defined by the Social Work Policy Institute, "Evidence-based practice is a process in which the practitioner combines well-researched interventions with clinical experience and ethics, and client preferences and culture to guide and inform the delivery of treatments and services."
**Sagan, C. (1995). The Demon-haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark. New York: Random House.