In the spring of 2006, in the midst of a regional round table discussion on homelessness in different regions of Quebec, we noticed that many practitioners were worried about the role of shelters and of their importance in addressing the problem. What is the mission of these shelters? Are they the solution or are they merely a reproduction of conditions one would find in an asylum? Can we, from these shelters, foresee a way out from off the street? The questions are numerous and we would like to propose through this survey of papers written on the subject a few elements likely to answer them. What can we learn from the shelters and from the research in social and human sciences?