31 F
Indianapolis
Thursday, March 28, 2024

2021 Winter Contingency Plan accounts for COVID-19, cold weather

More by this author

The Indianapolis Winter Contingency Plan, which provides indoor shelter options for Indianapolis and Central Indiana residents experiencing homelessness, looks different again this year compared to pre-pandemic years. The city has partnered with Wheeler Mission and the Marion County Public Health Department to create an alternate format for shelter to make sure people can socially distance.

Despite free vaccines being widely available, COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Indiana, with over 3,000 new cases reported Dec. 5. This spike in cases requires the city and partnering shelters to take extra precautions, including slightly reduced capacity. The plan is currently in place and runs through March 31, 2022.

Wheeler Mission, a faith-based shelter, has several locations to house men and women separately. The menā€™s facility, 520 E. Market St., has 250 beds available, as well as 60 overflow beds at its Menā€™s Residential Center, 245 N. Delaware St. Men seeking shelter should arrive at the Market Street address by 5 p.m. Central Christian Church, 701 N. Delaware St., will also provide overflow shelter if needed.

Women seeking shelter are directed to Wheelerā€™s Center for Women and Children, 3208 E. Michigan St. The shelter currently has 68 beds for single women and 15 rooms for women with children. Women with school-aged children can work with Wheeler Mission to arrange for transportation to get their children to school.

Horizon House, a local organization helping those experiencing homelessness find resources such as employment and mental health care, will refer women in need to Wheeler. Teresa Wessel, executive director of Horizon House, said the current need for shelter is high.

ā€œWe served 605 people in our service center last week alone,ā€ Wessel said in a statement Dec. 7. ā€œThese are the highest numbers we have encountered in months. We are working to connect those people to permanent housing solutions, but in the meantime, we provide basic needs and work with other providers around the city to provide temporary shelter options and resources.ā€

Those staying overnight in Wheeler Mission are required to leave the shelter by 7 a.m. In the event of freezing temperatures, Horizon House and Outreach Inc. offer daytime shelter during their hours of operation. Horizon House, 1033 E. Washington St., will open for all people when the wind chill reaches below zero degrees or air temperatures below 10 degrees.

Outreach Inc., 2416 E. New York St., serves people ages 14-24 and is open 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays when air temperature reaches zero degrees or below.

Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper.

- Advertisement -

Upcoming Online Townhalls

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest local news.

Stay connected

1FansLike
1FollowersFollow
1FollowersFollow
1SubscribersSubscribe

Related articles

Popular articles

EspaƱol + Translate Ā»
Skip to content