Transforming Emergency Housing Access: The Power of Shelter-Sharing Software

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Every day, advocates across the country spend hours on the phone, calling shelter after shelter, searching for a safe place for their clients to stay. Survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking, people experiencing homelessness, and others in crisis often wait anxiously as their advocates face a monumental challenge: navigating a fragmented, often opaque system to secure emergency housing. The time it takes to find an available shelter bed can be the difference between safety and prolonged danger.

The Struggles Advocates Face

Research and anecdotal evidence suggest that it can take hours—sometimes even days—for advocates to locate an available shelter bed. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s 18th Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report, over 7,000 requests for emergency shelter go unmet on an average day. In one day alone, domestic violence programs served nearly 77,000 victims but were unable to meet over 13,000 service requests, with more than half of those being for emergency housing.¹

This process is even more daunting for certain populations who face additional barriers in finding shelter:

Men, particularly those with children, often struggle to find spaces in a system historically designed for women and families.
LGBTQ+ individuals, who may fear discrimination or lack of understanding in traditional shelters.
People with disabilities, who require accessible facilities that are not always available.
Individuals with pets, as many shelters cannot accommodate animals, leaving survivors with the heart-wrenching choice of abandoning their pets or staying in unsafe situations.

For these populations and others, the current process is not only inefficient but often inequitable, leaving many without the housing they urgently need.

A Changing Landscape of Emergency Housing Needs

Survivors today may require emergency housing not only in their own community but potentially in other cities or states. Whether it’s to escape an immediate threat or to find a place that meets their unique needs, cross-community housing searches are becoming more common. However, advocates are often left in the dark about which shelters their clients might be eligible for, further complicating the process.

Adding to the challenge is the lack of a centralized repository of shelter data. No system currently provides real-time insights into how many beds are available (or unavailable) on any given night, season, or in specific communities. This lack of transparency delays decision-making and can leave survivors without safe options.

The Opportunity: Shelter-Sharing Software

Shelter-sharing platforms, like The Grove by ReloShare, have the potential to revolutionize how advocates find emergency housing for their clients. Here’s how:

Faster Housing Placement: By offering real-time data on shelter bed availability, The Grove significantly reduces the time advocates spend searching, allowing them to focus on supporting their clients.
Enhanced Equity: Advocates can identify shelters that cater to specific populations, ensuring that marginalized groups such as men with children, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities can find appropriate housing options.
Cross-Community Support: The platform facilitates searches across states and cities, expanding the network of available resources for survivors who need to relocate. An Arkansas advocate recounted, “A victim and her children traveled several hours to our shelter to escape abuse. She shared that it was the first time in weeks that they had been able to get a peaceful night’s rest”.¹
Transparent Data for Advocacy: Beyond helping individuals, the aggregated data from shelter-sharing platforms can highlight gaps in shelter availability. This information can be used to advocate for more funding to build new shelters, expand existing ones, or allocate more dollars to emergency housing programs. For example, 54% of unmet service requests during the Domestic Violence Counts survey were for emergency shelter or housing, underscoring the need for increased investment in these resources. An Arizona advocate emphasized the urgency of addressing unmet needs, stating, “The majority of our unmet needs are from victims needing shelter to flee abuse. Many of them only have a finite time to make a call and escape. We do everything we can, but every day, we turn away victims due to a lack of resources”.¹
Integrated Solutions: If no shelter beds are available, platforms like The Grove can integrate with hotel-booking platforms such as Safe Stays, allowing advocates to quickly place clients in short-term emergency hotel rooms without delays.

A Vision for the Future

At ReloShare, we believe that no one should go without emergency housing. By increasing transparency and sharing data, we can make this vision a reality. Shelter-sharing software not only helps individuals in crisis find safety faster but also empowers communities to address systemic challenges with clear, actionable insights.

We’re inspired by the tireless work of advocates and service providers and are committed to supporting them with tools that make their jobs easier and more impactful. To that end, we’re excited to offer interested communities the chance to try The Grove free for three months. Sign up today to transform how your community supports those in need. Together, we can ensure no one goes without emergency housing.

Let’s work together to ensure that every person in need has access to safe housing, no matter their circumstances.

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¹National Network to End Domestic Violence. (2024). 18th annual domestic violence counts report. Washington, DC: National Network to End Domestic Violence. Retrieved from https://nnedv.org/about-us/dv-counts-census/

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