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Local Shelters

Somewhere to sleep tonight, somewhere to get warm, somewhere to go when the sirens sound. Open a section below to see what is listed near you β€” or enter a ZIP code and the list will sort by distance.

Always call before you travel. Beds fill, hours change and seasonal shelters close. Dialling 211 gets you a local operator who knows what is open tonight.

In immediate danger, call 911. This page is a directory, not an emergency service. During a tornado warning do not drive to look for a shelter β€” take cover where you are, in the lowest interior room away from windows.

Find shelters near you

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Emergency & Disaster Shelter 33

Opened by the Red Cross, a county EMA or a city after a disaster. Usually open only while a disaster is active.

Homeless Shelter 27

Year-round emergency housing. Intake times and bed availability change daily β€” always call first.

Cold Weather & Overnight Shelter 3

Seasonal overnight shelters, often opening only below a set temperature.

Warming Center 22

Daytime places to get warm during extreme cold. Not overnight beds.

Cooling Center 18

Air-conditioned public spaces open during heat emergencies.

Domestic Violence Shelter 11

Confidential shelters for people fleeing abuse. Addresses are never published β€” reach them through the hotline.

Youth & Runaway Shelter 4

For unaccompanied minors and young adults.

Family Shelter 9

Keeps families with children together rather than splitting by gender.

Veterans Shelter 2

Shelter and transitional housing for veterans.

Pet-Friendly Shelter 1

Takes people together with their animals, or has co-located animal sheltering.

Day Center 8

Showers, laundry, mail, meals and case management during the day. Not an overnight bed.

Other Shelter 3

Anything that does not fit the categories above.

About tornado and storm shelters

Most communities do not have a public tornado shelter. Where community safe rooms do exist they are usually locked until a warning is issued, and they are meant for people who are already nearby β€” not for driving to.

A vehicle is one of the most dangerous places to be in a tornado. If a warning is issued for where you are, take cover immediately rather than travelling.

Where to go, in order of preference

  1. A basement or storm cellar, away from heavy appliances on the floor above.
  2. A FEMA-rated safe room or a below-ground shelter.
  3. The lowest floor, in a small interior room with no windows β€” a bathroom, closet or hallway. Put as many walls between you and the outside as you can.
  4. Cover your head and neck. A bike or sports helmet is genuinely worth keeping with your emergency supplies.

If you live in a mobile or manufactured home

Leave before the storm arrives, not during it. Mobile homes offer little protection even when tied down. Work out now β€” today, while the weather is fine β€” which nearby sturdy building you will go to, and how long it takes to get there.

Work this out before the siren

  • Ask your county emergency management agency whether any public safe rooms exist and when they open.
  • Have more than one way to get warnings: a NOAA weather radio, your phone's emergency alerts, and a local station.
  • A warning siren is designed to be heard outdoors. Do not count on hearing it while asleep indoors.

Official guidance: National Weather Service tornado safety. Your county emergency management agency is the authority on local safe rooms.

Works anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day

If nothing local is listed, or everything nearby is full, these are the numbers that will find you something.

Start here

211 β€” statewide health and human services

211

Dial 211 from any phone. Trained local operators know which shelters are open tonight, which have beds, and what the intake cut-off is. This is the single best first call in almost every situation.

Open the official finder

Disaster

American Red Cross β€” open disaster shelters

1-800-733-2767

The official list of shelters open right now after a disaster, searchable by ZIP. Also available in the free Red Cross Emergency app.

Open the official finder

Housing

HUD shelter and housing finder

Federal directory of emergency shelters, transitional housing, food and health clinics, searchable by city.

Open the official finder

Confidential

National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-7233

Free, confidential, 24/7. Text START to 88788 or chat online. They can arrange a confidential shelter placement β€” you never have to give an address to find one.

Open the official finder

Crisis

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

988

Call or text 988 any time. Free and confidential support for anyone in distress.

Open the official finder