Important Updates on Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) and Housing Rights
If you serve or support people with Emotional Support Animals, have an ESA yourself, or are seeking one as a housing accommodation, please note - HUD has withdrawn its 2013 and 2020 guidance documents on assistance animals: Notice of Withdrawal of Guidance Documents (Sept. 2025).
This withdrawal does not change the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
People with disabilities still have the right to request an Emotional Support Animal as a reasonable accommodation when eligible under the FHA.
At Open Door Veterinary Collective, we are updating our Emotional Support Animal Page and Social Work Hub as quickly as possible to reflect the elimination of HUD’s prior guidance instructions related to ESA accommodation eligibility.
We are fortunate to have Dr. Janet Hoy-Gerlach, one of the nation’s leading experts on ESAs, leading this update. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact Dr. Janet at socialwork@opendoorconsults.org
Research & Resources
- Supporting Rights to Emotional Support Animals as an Accommodation: A Scoping Review of Professional Guidelines https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08927936.2024.2378593
- Exploring Benefits of Emotional Support Animals (ESAs): A Longitudinal Pilot Study with Adults with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/hai.2022.0016
- Guidance for Veterinarians - The Role of Veterinarians in Assisting Clients Identify and Care for Emotional Support Animals avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/254/2/javma.254.2.199.xml
- Paws for Patrick
A non-profit connecting young people to Emotional Support Animals and Therapy Dogs to aid them as they live with mental illness.
pawsforpatrick.org - 211 Helpline
We partner with 211, a human service-focused database accessible by phone or online. 211 links people with needed resources such as food, housing, utility assistance, health and mental healthcare, and more.