Twin Animal Activists 'Take Big Steps' to Solve Stray Pet 'Crisis' in Houston with Help from Alyssa Milano (Exclusive)

The new documentary "For the Animals,' executive produced by Milano, explores how Tena Lundquist Faust and Tama Lundquist are protecting Houston's stray pets

For Tena Lundquist Faust and Tama Lundquist, twin activists and philanthropists, moving to Houston and seeing the number of stray dogs in the Texas city was an "eye-opening" experience.

"I moved to Houston from Minnesota to marry my husband and quickly realized that there was apathy toward stray animals. When I was in Minneapolis, I don't ever remember seeing a stray animal ever. And to come to Houston where you easily could see 30 or 40 or 50 stray pets in a day; it was really eye-opening," Lundquist Faust tells PEOPLE.

In response, Lundquist Faust and Lundquist, who later moved to Houston too, decided something needed to be done to help the animals and people affected by the city's homeless pet problem.

"We're problem solvers by nature," Lundquist Faust says, adding, "Once we recognized that it was a crisis, we knew that there had to be big steps that had to be taken in order to solve the issue."

The twins' strategic approach to saving the dogs and cats on Houston's streets is explored in the new documentary For the Animals — now in select theaters and online — from monk female filmmakers Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti. Alyssa Milano is also attached to the project as an executive producer and quickly said yes to the role.

"I had worked with Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti on a film called Surviving Sex Trafficking. I executive produced that. And they are just storytellers that I admire, but more importantly, they are people I admire and have so much respect for. So when they sent me For the Animals for my consideration to executive produce it, I was like, yes, immediately signed up," Milano says.

The star was also moved by the passion Lundquist Faust and Lundquist had for finding a solution.

"In advocacy work, you figure out pretty quickly who is in it for themselves and their ego, and who is the real deal. The real deal means people with the heart and intelligence to be selfless and effective. And that's just what I felt about Tena and Tama." Milano adds.

Related: Injured Dog Rescued and Carried Down New Hampshire Mountain for Nearly 16 Hours by Volunteers

According to Lundquist, Houston's stray animal crisis stems from a "perfect storm of issues."

"It is a year-round breeding season. There are a lot of cultures that don't believe in spaying and neutering your dogs, and they believe in a community dog, so the dogs run around and procreate, Houston is a huge city, not only population-wise, but geographically, and there are a lot of rural pockets. So the dogs hide in these areas, and it's not always easy to get to them to get them off the streets," she says about the problems facing Houston's homeless pet population and the people trying to curb it.

Lundquist Faust says the crisis has grown so large that "it's become a public health and public safety issue for citizens," adding that hungry stray dogs have attacked Houston residents.

For the Animals focuses on the "holistic approach" Lundquist Faust and Lundquist are taking to solving pet homelessness in Houston, but this isn't the only U.S. city facing a stray pet problem.

"It reflects the same issues in cities across the United States. The most important thing I think I took away from this and resonated the most with me is that when there are animals in crisis, there are people in crisis. And where there are people in crisis, there are animals in crisis," Milano says.

She and the sisters are hopeful that For the Animals will shed some light on the severity of the pet homelessness problem in the U.S. — where an average of 6.3 million animals enter the shelter system each year, according to the ASPCA — and encourages animal lovers to take action, so elected officials are moved to make changes that will respond to this crisis.

Related: Over 70 Dogs Saved from Flooded Properties Where the Pets Were Left Tied Up and Stranded for Days

"What we do know works is that if you empower and educate the grassroots activists who are on the ground doing the feeding every day and making sure sick animals get to vet care, if you empower them, if you give them the money that they need, the funding that they need, then hopefully those programs become sustainable," Milano shares.

It is the rescuers who are out on the street doing the hands-on work to save stray cats and dogs that For the Animals strives to highlight too.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories

"It's really the rescuers that deserve a shout-out because they give everything, their budgets are their wallets, their vacations are spent rescuing animals, and their homes are filled with animals. And without them, our streets would be uninhabitable. And I'm not exaggerating; they save tens of thousands of animals off our streets and use every dollar they have. So it's just a shout-out to them," Lundquist Faust,

To learn more about For the Animals and how you can help with Lundquist Faust and Lundquist's efforts to end pet homelessness in Houston and beyond, visit fortheanimalsmovie.com/getinvolved.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.