In crisis, or worried about someone? Call or text 988 · Veterans, dial 988 then press 1 · More ways to get help
Buddies Helping BuddiesShelby County, Indiana Stand With Us
Get help now Stand with us
A veteran in a service cap standing before a row of American flags.

Affiliated organization

Shelby County
Veteran Response Team

Built on service. Driven by brotherhood.

The team is in training now and is not yet taking crisis calls. If you need someone tonight, the Veterans Crisis Line answers every hour: dial 988, then press 1.

Veterans Crisis Line: 988, press 1 Follow on Facebook

Who we stand for

Who the team
is being built for

The Veteran Response Team is being built for veterans in crisis or at risk. Not for a waiting list. Not for an intake queue. For the hour it is actually bad.

It will serve veterans, active duty service members, police, fire, and other first responders. Because no one should stand alone.

We are not open yet, and we will not pretend otherwise. A team that shows up for somebody at the worst moment of their life had better be trained before it gets there.

Veterans Active duty Police Fire First responders

“Proudly serving veterans, active duty service members, police, fire, and other first responders. Because no one should stand alone.”

Shelby County Veteran Response Team

Someone who has been there

The person who picks up understands the uniform, the deployment, the shift work, and what it costs. You will not have to explain the basics.

Trained before we are needed

Certifications and crisis response training run through this year and into next. Nobody goes out on a call until the whole team is ready for it.

Nobody stands alone

Brotherhood is not a slogan here. It is the whole method. We keep showing up until the person on the other end has their footing back.

Where the team stands

Standing up,
not standing by

The Veteran Response Team was announced in May 2026 at the Shelby County suicide prevention walk. Here is the honest timeline.

  • May 2026. The team is announced and recruitment begins.
  • Through 2026 and early 2027. Training and certification for every member.
  • Target April 2027. The team goes live and begins responding to calls.

Until then, the crisis lines below are staffed around the clock, and Buddies Helping Buddies is here for anything that is not an emergency.

If it is bad right now

The Veterans Crisis Line
answers every hour

Free, confidential, and staffed by people trained to talk to veterans and service members. You do not have to be enrolled in VA care, and you do not have to be suicidal to call.

988

Dial 988, then press 1

838255

Text this number any time

Every way to get help
Firefighters walking toward the engines at the end of a call.

Stand with the team

You served once.
Serve again

The team runs on veterans and neighbors who give their time. If you have been through it and come out the other side, you are exactly who somebody needs to hear from.

Volunteer with us Follow the team