Shelter service is a local response to the increasing number of homeless people in North America and Europe. The success of a shelter is commonly measured by looking at the shelter’s ability to limit the amount of homelessness, meet the immediate and long-term needs of clients, and help shelter users secure stable housing after leaving the shelter. Service delivery tends to be different from one shelter to the next and also varies within shelters. Therefore, there is no single model of service delivery that can be effectively used across shelters.

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Towards a Common Goal for Shelter Service was published in the Social Development Issues Volume 31, Issue 2 in 2009