Sarah Lean’s A Dog Called Homeless makes topical social issues accessible to young readers by incorporating them into the coming-of-age genre. By using the perspective of a young girl to explore the social issues surrounding the unhoused community and people with disabilities, Lean establishes relatability, helping readers draw analogies to their own lives. In the book, characters who belong to these communities become friends with Cally, and she does what she can to help them feel loved and seen.

Empathy for Unhoused People emerges as a theme, primarily driven by the character of Jed. Cally is at the age when she’s creating formative ideas about the people in her community. She makes a choice to believe what she sees, the goodness in Jed, over her father’s instructions to ignore them. This is a useful tool for young readers because they’re forming their own opinions. Cally combats the oppression that unhoused people face in ways that are realistic for someone her age but still make a difference. She gives Jed food when she can and always treats him with kindness. While many people ignore him, Cally sees him for who he is: a kind man, and a great friend.