Emergency shelters are a critical component of many crisis response strategies, as they can be useful in providing immediate accommodations to people experiencing homelessness who have no other housing options. While important, emergency shelters alone are not an adequate solution to homelessness. They should be understood as one component of a more comprehensive, solutions-focused homelessness strategy that ultimately seeks to move people into standard housing. Thus, an effective crisis response will also involve diversion strategies that help people avoid shelter entry when possible and robust coordinated entry systems that identify people’s needs and connect them to housing and services.
