A homeless shelter is a type of service and total institution that provides temporary residence for homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while reducing their impact on the surrounding community.
They are similar to, but distinguishable from, various types of emergency shelters, which are typically operated for specific circumstances and populations, such as those affected by natural disasters or experiencing domestic abuse. They are distinguished from single-room occupancy lodgings, flophouses and other low-cost accommodations by typically being free and operated by municipal governments or nonprofit organizations. Homeless shelters may provide additional services, such as warm meals, counseling, and addiction treatment to residents.
Homeless population Health issues Hundreds of homeless individuals die each year from diseases, untreated medical conditions, lack of nutrition, and exposure to extreme cold or hot weather. In a mild-wintered San Francisco in 1998, homeless people were purportedly 58% more likely to perish than the general population. In New Orleans, approximately 10,000 homeless were unaccounted for after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Residents of homeless shelters may also be exposed to bed bugs which have been growing more prevalent in countries such as the United States, Canada and in Europe. Some residents of shelters have reported sleeping in roach-infested spaces at various shelters.
Researchers have found that homeless people are at high risk for respiratory tract diseases, such as tuberculosis, peripheral vascular disease, dermatology problems, and infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases. These high rates are attributed to environmental pollution and other risks associated with street life, including trauma, poor nutrition, a lack of access to personal hygiene facilities, and crowding and debilitation, which increase the risk of infectious disease. Besides physical health problems, homeless people are also at great risk of mental health issues resulting from alcohol and drug abuse as a lack of societal concern and care. These issues are also related to public health. Without proper housing, these infectious diseases have a higher rate to affect other people in society.
In Washington, D.C., statistics indicate that 63% of homeless people suffer from a lack of access to regular bathing. Another estimated 58% within the same city are unable to obtain sufficient levels of sleep. Areas such as showers and bathrooms in shelters often have restricted access with limited hours. Homeless individuals also have great trouble finding storage locations for their belongings. Homeless individuals in the United States are subject to being arrested and held in jail for "quality of life" violations or for public intoxication. In Hawaii, homeless people are banned from sitting or lying on the streets.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, homeless shelters were recommended to use a "whole community approach" and to provide sufficient communications relevant to the pandemic.
LGBT+ community The LGBT homeless are at increased risk of violence compared to other groups. Transgender people are also at danger of being placed into the incorrect shelters. In some cases, transgender women can be turned away from women's shelters. This can place their safety at risk.
Men In a national survey conducted in the United States the findings showed that of the surveyed homeless, two-thirds are men and most likely to be single adults between the ages of 25 and 54.
Young men who have been abused as children are more likely to become homeless and are at risk of becoming chronically homeless if they are not living in a permanent situation by age 24. Poverty has been shown to have a large effect on men's health in general, leading to an extremely unhealthy lifestyle. Some of the challenges include low self-esteem, weakening, mental strain and poor physical health. Although women tend to have higher poverty rates, men still experience the same negative effects.
Women Women can experience homelessness and poverty because they are most likely to bear child-rearing responsibilities and vulnerable to become victims of family members or intimate partners.
Homeless women, both those with children and without, experience higher rates of physical illness than men. They are also more likely to be hyper-vigilant and have high levels of stress. Women seeking refuge from domestic violence are not always able to find rooms in shelters. Some women have been turned away from homeless shelters because shelter staff believe that turning women away will stop people from having sex inside the shelter.
Homeless women who are of childbearing age also face unique hygiene issues because of menstruation. Homeless shelters have noted that both tampons and sanitary pads "top the list of needs at shelters" because of their high cost and because they are not donated often.
Alternative models and management philosophies
Housing first practice The homeless shelters across the United States act merely as emergency shelter systems that can only hold a fraction of the rapidly increasing homeless population. The Housing First practice provides an alternative to the current network of homeless shelters. The program targets the large problem within the United States which is a lack of affordable housing. This methodology attempts to place homeless families back into independent living situations as quickly as possible. The Housing First practice has achieved success because homeless families are more responsive to social services support when they are in their own housing. It provides crisis intervention, affordable rental housing, and gives each family a grace period of six months to a year of social service to allow the family to get back on their feet. The effectiveness of this concept is that it assists homeless families in identifying their needs and recognizing the choices they must make. From this point families can create better options for themselves and plan strategies for living on their own.
Religious shelters Homeless shelters are often affiliated with the charitable efforts of religious organizations. Religious shelters may require attendance at a prayer service in order to receive services. The Salvation Army is a social support service organization that also functions as a religious group.
Vehicles as shelter Around the late 2000s, in Santa Barbara and other areas in California, groups of recently homeless began to camp out in their cars in parking lots with the coordinated support of a local non-profit group. These individuals and families were often unable to afford rent or mortgage, but still had jobs, cars, insurance and other types of support structures. In Santa Barbara, an estimated 55 individuals camped out every night in various private and public lots, some reserved for women only. As more people began to camp in their vehicles, California cities began to pass laws against sleeping in vehicles, like the 2013 ordinance passed in Palo Alto. However, many of these laws in different municipalities were later struck down in higher courts as unconstitutional, like the Los Angeles ban which was judged by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2014. Some cities chose to repeal their own bans on sleeping in vehicles. In Los Angeles in 2015, approximately 9,500 homeless have turned their cars into homes. In Hawaii, a Honolulu-based company is retrofitting five retired city buses into mobile shelters which provide a place to sleep and get a shower.
Community attitudes Community attitude towards homeless shelters varies widely, but one study found that older people, men, homeowners and all people making larger incomes were often averse to the concept of homeless shelters in general. Calgary neighborhoods recognize the need for shelters, but many do not want to situate a shelter near their own homes. A similar response came from residents in Oahu. In communities such as Portland, Oregon, where weather can be harsh and municipal politics tend to be highly liberal, there is high grassroots support for shelters. At the opposite end of the spectrum, jurisdictions such as Santa Barbara, California feature ongoing disputes in an often highly adversarial mode.Santa Barbara Independent, January 2011 Disputes have occasionally escalated to such schemes as re-arranging benches on city sidewalks to discourage panhandlers. In another 2011 incident, an eight unit supportive housing project which had been approved was called back onto city council agenda the following week in order to allow approximately 35 public comments pro and con, despite the fact that the measure had just been approved.
There have at times been concerns raised about the transmission of diseases in the homeless population housed in shelters, although public health professionals contend that such concerns are inflated.Najidah Association Inc. Annual return to the Dept. of Communities 2006 In addition, a study published in 2014 conducted in Marseille, France found that respiratory illnesses in homeless shelters were not significantly different from the general population. In addition, during the peak influenza months, the shelter occupants did not test positive for the flu virus and the researchers hypothesize that being isolated from others may have been the reason they were virus-free. However, outbreaks of tuberculosis have been reported occurring in shelters within three large Ohio cities in the 1990s.
A question has been raised as just how much money donated to the charities that run the shelters actually gets to the homeless people and the required services. In many cases, there is a large overhead in administrative costs, which compromise the money for their homeless clients.
Internal problems in homeless shelters Corruption is a major issue among homelessness services providers, as homeless services are frequently contracted to outside organizations or neglected by municipal governments. Shelter residents can be victims of violence, abuse, and theft at the hands of their fellow residents or employees of the shelter.
Shelters can become dangerously overcrowded when too many occupants are allowed entry to the shelter.
Shelters sometimes are unable to meet state standards for occupancy, such as testing fire sprinklers or ensuring that exits are clearly marked. In New York City, 2015, the state withheld funding from many shelters which did not meet standards or which had poor conditions.
Shelter employees are sometimes at risk from violence perpetrated by the residents they are serving. In order to address problems faced by employees who are trying to help homeless people in New York, the Department of Homeless Services increased security at some shelters and conducted security assessments of shelters in 2015. While many employees of shelters know that there is a risk when working in high-crime neighborhoods or with individuals who are mentally ill, they continue to work at homeless shelters because they feel that they are performing a public service akin to the police or firefighters.
External problems Residents of neighborhoods which host homeless shelters frequently express concerns that homeless shelters have a negative effect on surrounding communities. As homeless shelters attract homeless people, problems may include panhandling, the erection of improvised accommodations (such as tents) in nearby spaces, increased crime, and the introduction of drugs or alcohol in communities. The placement of a homeless shelter in a community can decrease property values, drive down business activity, and cause non-homeless residents fear.