Three Types of Shelter and Why They Matter

As we get more invested in our community, we all want to be a part of the solutions to the problems we see. People want to invest in solutions that are creative, unique, innovative, but most importantly, ones that work.??

An important element to seeing an end to the homelessness crisis in Oregon is the shelter system, as it provides temporary respite for people living on the streets, out of their cars, or couch surfing.? When speaking to service providers and government officials, an invested citizen, or a potential volunteer, it can be easy for people who work for organizations providing services to throw around jargon about services without providing definitions for people interested in helping, but who don’t live and breathe the issue. One of the key ideas to define is the kind of shelters available for people, and the strengths and weaknesses of those shelter models. Let’s open up the discussion about what our communities need with some basic definitions.?

So what are these models??

Generally speaking, there are three kinds of shelter models: no-barrier, low-barrier, and high-barrier.??

No-barrier shelter is defined as a shelter that doesn't have any requirements for a guest. These shelters are good for people who are in desperate or immediate need of shelter. No barrier shelters often go up in times of inclement weather such as a hurricane, a blizzard, or any other kind of dangerous situation. They can also benefit people fleeing domestic violence situations, since there are no questions asked. However, they can be used as a pass-through for illegal behavior, are a mixture of different levels of need, and they often lack a level of privacy and security.? ?

Low-barrier shelter is defined by a shelter that offers easy access to services by reducing barriers to entry. Some barriers at low-barrier shelters include, but are not limited to, proof of low income, proof of identification, sometimes they have sobriety requirements but not always, and behavioral requirements. Some low-barrier shelters have some expectations, there are usually not many and the ones that exist are not universal across shelters, even in the same city. Like a no-barrier shelter, it is easy for people to get in, but that can lead to complicated situations that don’t work for everyone.?

High-barrier shelter is defined as shelter that offers services but has requirements to stay on sight. These requirements can include participation in a program, sobriety, employment, a curfew, and more depending on the specific shelter. These shelters are good for long-term transitional housing, for recovery-based housing, and for family situations.?

For many years, no-barrier and low-barrier shelters that qualified as “housing first” were the only types of shelters that could receive government funding; housing first being a program type where the priority was getting someone housed as soon as possible, and then get them connected to other resources they may need. While this model does support many individuals, others need a different model of support to be successful on their journeys. With the recent repeal of M110 in Oregon, there is a recognition for the need for sobriety beds, for opportunities for mental and physical care, and for higher barrier options. At Helping Hands, we received feedback from participants and former participants, including many who now work for us, that they feel they have greater success sustaining their housing situations if they transitioned from a high-barrier situation. Because everybody is different, there are needs for multiple kinds of shelters and housing opportunities to exist. Since all three kinds of shelters need to exist, there should be opportunities for all of them to apply for and receive funding. All organizations providing vital services in their communities should be at the table to discuss the realities of homelessness and what resources are needed to create a true support network for the people experiencing it. ?