Sheltering Wings is concerned for the health and safety for our residents, staff, volunteers, vendors, partners and neighbors. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, we will post updates whenever necessary. Please contact us at (317) 718-5460 with questions.

July 29 | Continued Precautions

At Sheltering Wings, we continue to operate with caution according to guidelines and best practices issued by local, state and national authorities. Daily operations have slowly returned to a more normal state.

  • The staff has resumed offering residents in-person advocacy, case management and therapeutic services.
  • Onsite life-skills programs have resumed and are being offered in such a way as to allow residents and instructors to maintain proper social distance.
  • A controlled number of volunteers, partners and vendors are allowed back in the building.
  • Everyone in public areas of the shelter must wear masks at all times.
  • We continue to accept donations from our Wish List.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, call our 24/7 helpline at (317) 745-1496 or send us a Facebook message.

If you believe you have symptoms, contact your healthcare provider or call the Hendricks Regional Health 24/7 coronavirus hotline at (317) 520-5500 for a free phone screening.

May 4 | Back On Track Plan

On Friday, Governor Holcomb introduced his roadmap to safely reopen the state of Indiana. We’ve continued to monitor and adjust as the weeks have passed. The Back On Track Indiana plan allows us to make the following adjustments:

  • As a protective measure, everyone in public areas of the shelter must wear masks at all times.
  • Staff may resume offering in-person advocacy, case management and therapeutic services.
  • Neither group meetings nor children’s programming has resumed; we hope to start them again in the next few weeks.
  • Indoor and outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 people at a time.
  • Volunteers who pass an assessment for COVID-19 symptoms will be allowed back into the facility starting on May 18.
  • Only essential visitors are permitted into the facility.
  • We continue to accept donations from our Wish List and dinners from our Meal Train.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, call our 24/7 helpline at (317) 745-1496 or send us a Facebook message.

Apr. 8 | Two Staff Test Positive

This morning, we received notification that two of our staff tested positive for coronavirus. We immediately consulted with the Indiana State Department of Health and the Hendricks County Department of Health to get their recommendations. We notified residents and staff who have had direct contact in order to help them determine their next-steps. We’ve also notified the remainder of the more than 50 residents currently in our care as well as our entire staff. We continue to follow the directives of healthcare authorities.

“From the beginning of the pandemic, we have remained up-to-date with national, state and local recommendations,” said executive director Cassie Mecklenburg. “We have taken such measures as staggering times for access to common-areas, adjusting staff schedules, limiting access to the building for non-essential personnel, and adopting policies to respond should anyone demonstrate symptoms.”

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, call our 24/7 helpline at (317) 745-1496 or send us a Facebook message.

Mar. 23 | Shelter-In-Place Order

Today, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb issued a shelter-in-place order to go into effect at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, March 24, and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 6. We continue to monitor the situation closely, to care for current residents and to provide 24/7 helpline assistance to callers.

Survivors: If you are in an abusive situation and in immediate danger, call 911 immediately. If you are able to make a phone call, please reach out  for help. Our helpline number is (317) 745-1496.

Supporters: If you are looking for a way to help residents and their children, consider participating in a meal train we set up to help residents maintain social distance during the quarantine.

Mar. 16 | Staff Schedules

We have continued monitoring tightening Federal and State guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. Late last week, we amended staff schedules in effort to decrease the risk to staff and residents. The safety and health of our residents and staff remain our greatest concern.

Mar. 12 | Additional Restrictions

This afternoon, Governor Holcomb made an extensive announcement outlining the State’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Among his recommendations, non-essential gatherings are limted to 250 people, corporations are being given a 20-day waiver to cancel school, and nursing homes and hospitals are being asked to restrict and screen visitors.

We are a residential facility. And, while to our knowledge our residents or staff remain unaffected, we thought it was wise to increase our level of vigilance. Therefore, these will be our policies through March 31 or until further notice:

  • Only essential personnel will be given access to our building
  • We are asking all recurring volunteers, one-time volunteers and volunteer work groups to pause schedules and resume when these restrictions are lifted
  • All facility tours are canceled
  • If you have an onsite meeting scheduled, your staff point of contact will be in touch to reschedule or to change the meeting to a phone call or video chat
  • Embracing Empowerment, our support group for survivors of domestic violence, is canceled for guests

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Mar. 12 | Men IN Action READ

Out of an abundance of concern, we have decided to cancel our Mar. 19 volunteer initiative, Men IN Action READ. Thank you to the hundreds of men who volunteered to serve as guest readers, to the dozens of incredible school administrators who have been so welcoming of our involvement and to our generous event sponsors: Duke Energy, Hendricks Regional Health, Etica Group and Elon Groups.

>> Read the Press Release  |  >> Subscribe for Men IN Action Updates  |  >> E-learning Experience  |  >>Teacher Resources

Mar. 12 | Safety Measures and Public Health Resources

At Sheltering Wings, the health and safety of our residents and their children, our staff, our volunteers and our guests is always top-of-mind. This has been especially true in recent weeks.

The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) a global health pandemic. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now reports 938 confirmed cases of coronavirus, spread across 38 states and the District of Columbia, claiming 29 lives. The virus arrived in Hendricks County this week. Confirmed cases in our community have already resulted in school closures, product shortages at grocery stores and a great deal of worry among our friends, family members, coworkers and neighbors.

Partners and supporters have begun asking what we’re doing to safeguard against the spread of coronavirus in our organization. We’re happy to share what we’re doing, what we’ve decided to stop doing and how you can help.

What we’re doing

Because we operate a facility which, at any given time, is occupied by more than 60 residents, 25 staff members and numerous visitors, we are always cautious about maintaining cleanliness, disinfecting surfaces and protecting against the spread of illnesses. This emphasis has continued in recent weeks:

  • Staff and volunteer crews have cleaned and disinfected surfaces
  • Leaders have circulated regular updates about the coronavirus to shelter staff and have reinforced the need for maintaining proper sanitation and hygiene practices
  • Residential staff maintain regular communication with residents and their children to monitor health and to reinforce the importance of proper hygiene
  • Staff and volunteers have been urged to remain at home in the event they experience any of the symptoms of the virus

Sheltering Wings’ staff and residents are monitoring the situation and are remaining diligent to protect the health of all.

What we’ve stopped doing

While we are confident in what we are doing, recent conversations amongst staff and residents at Sheltering Wings have brought to light several things we should stop doing as they increase the likelihood of the spread of germs or compromise the cleanliness of our facility. The following are several practices that we’ve reevaluated in recent days:

  • We are no longer able to accept store-bought food or beverages with packages or containers that have been opened
  • We can no longer accept homemade food items that are leftover or partially consumed
  • We cannot accept used clothing, shoes or accessories as we have neither the capability to disinfect and launder it nor to store it (visit our website for local clothing donation alternatives)

We are vigilant about the health and safety of our residents, volunteers and staff and we care deeply about the health of our community. We will continue to monitor the spread of the coronavirus and adjust our practices if necessary.

What you can do

If you have a stockpile of Clorox wipes, Lysol spray, hand sanitizer or other antibacterial cleaning agents, would you consider donating them to our residents? We accept donations during business hours, Monday through Friday. Call ahead: (317) 386-5056.

Please do not visit our facility unless you have been completely free of coronavirus symptoms  – runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever – or exposure to anyone who has exhibited those same symptoms for a period of at least 24 hours.

Finally, please continue to follow the leadership and advice of global, national, state and local health authorities. It’s important to follow advice from experts, not the opinions you find on social media or from biased news agencies. Below this article, we have provided several helpful, credible resources for more information about the virus and the healthy habits you and your loved ones should maintain.

We’ll pull through this together. We’ll learn some lessons along the way. But, if we’re careful about our actions and if we watch out for one another, we’ll decrease the fear and loss caused by this pandemic.

Additional resources

World Health Organization – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Summary

Indiana State Department of Health – Subscribe to receive Coronavirus email updates

Hendricks Regional Health – How to avoid and prevent the spread of coronavirus