Mom Discovered Domestic Violence Program That Allows People with Pets (Exclusive)

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Almost a decade ago, Hope Dawson Sessoms moved to New York City, where she lived out of her car for three months and cleaned houses to get by

"My children had gotten to the point where my daughter called me and said, 'I don't care where we have to stay, I just need to be with you,' " Dawson Sessoms tells PEOPLE

She discovered the People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program, which provides co-living spaces and services for people and their pets

Almost a decade ago, Hope Dawson Sessoms was desperately trying to leave an abusive relationship and find a safe place to relocate with her two children and their dog, Coco.

She had moved to New York City, where she lived out of her car for three months and cleaned houses to get by. Her son, daughter and Coco were living in anot