As the fields of Animal Welfare and Veterinary Medicine expand into accessible care, emphasis needs to be placed on how community partnerships form. Efforts should be made to preserve the autonomy and equity of partners in collaborative efforts. The fields of human medicine and social work, as well as other professions with highly evolved community-based programming, have guidance documents specific to their industries to help navigate this balance. The Northeast Shelter and Community Medicine Consortium working group, comprised of faculty and staff from academic programs (UPENN, Tufts, and Cornell Veterinary Colleges) and practitioners of veterinary community medicine, have drafted a parallel document applying the well-founded principles of human medical and social work outreach to the practice of veterinary medicine on owned animals in shelters and accessible care settings.