Good news from Indianapolis Animal Care Services!
In this announcement from IACS, the shelter says it has been chosen as a pilot shelter as part of a national initiative called Human Animal Support Services (HASS).
The HASS idea emerged during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought shelters from across the nation together to talk about how they could continue to operate even during the shutdown.
“We know we can do better when it comes to getting pets home and keeping them with their families,” said Katie Trennepohl, Deputy Director of IACS. “With this pilot program, we’ll have the support behind us to more effectively develop these services.”
IACS has already implemented some of these ideas as part of the Indy CARES program, launched in March 2018. IndyCARES helps to provide and connect pet owners with resources that include medical vouchers, short-term foster care, and re-homing assistance among other things. Other programs, like telehealth and getting stray pets home services will be new for IACS.
“We need bold, innovative solutions to help our community overcome the unprecedented challenges we are facing,” said Trennepohl. “We are committed to doing everything we can to support Marion County pets and their owners and to helping IACS become a community pet resource center.”
Other cities taking part in this pilot program include Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Diego, Kansas City, MO, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC.
Information about the HASS project can be found at www.humananimalssupportservices.org. As a pilot shelter, IACS will receive ongoing support and training to implement these programs. The project is possible with support from Maddie’s Fund Family Foundation and several other national grant funding organizations.