Shelters can serve as a point of contact for service delivery organizations as well as key fixtures in data intake and management. In systems set up to end homelessness, shelters are the first step toward stable and permanent housing for clients. In recent years, best practice for emergency shelter as a step toward housing has shifted toward removing barriers to access, particularly around sobriety; linking individual shelters directly to permanent housing resources; and making coordinated assessment and triage a key part of daily operations.

This process has surfaced a relatively new model for shelter services, in which clients can arrive and depart at will, rather than requiring them to check in and out at designated times every day. This allows individuals to store belongings and provides greater access to services.