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What to Do When Shelter Beds Run Out

Overflow situations are frustrating and dangerous. Here’s how agencies are meeting urgent housing needs when space is tight.

Whether it’s the winter surge, summer staffing shortages, or just the constant pace of crisis work—shelters across the country are stretched thin.

And when you're the one answering the phone at 5PM on a Friday with no shelter availability or backup plan, it can feel like you're carrying the weight of someone’s safety and survival in your hands, alone.

Too often, the fallback becomes:

  • A waiting list

  • An unsafe motel

  • Dozens of last-minute calls to hotels

  • Sending someone back to the very place they were trying to leave

You didn’t come into this work to turn people away. But without the right tools, the safest solutions often feel the most impossible.

 

Overflow Isn’t Just a Fluke in the System. It’s a Pattern.

Emergency shelters weren’t designed to catch everyone. And if you work with survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, homelessness, or medical discharge, you’ve likely felt the weight of it:

  • Your beds are full, again.

  • Your voucher funding is tight.

  • You’re relying on scattered motels that aren’t always safe.

  • You’re burning hours making calls just to find a single bed.

And while all of that’s happening, someone’s still waiting. Often in danger, and with nowhere else to go.

 

Two Tools That Help You Respond Faster, Safer, and Smarter

At ReloShare, we built tools to relieve the pressure on shelters and emergency housing programs and help agencies move quickly when their options run out. These aren’t short-term fixes. They’re long-term supports for a system that’s doing everything it can with not nearly enough.


The Grove
Coordinate Real-Time Shelter Beds

The Grove is a live bed availability tool that lets you:

  • See open beds across your local network

  • Share and update your own shelter inventory

  • Make quicker, more informed referrals

  • Spend less time on hold and more time helping people

💡 When your shelter is full, The Grove helps you tap into your community’s capacity without starting from scratch every time.



Safe Stays by ReloShare
Book Anonymous Hotel Rooms, Instantly

When no beds are available, Safe Stays connects you to thousands of hotels that accept agency bookings, many under an alias, with no ID or credit card required at check-in.

  • Filter by location, accessibility, or alias check-in

  • Book in minutes using our agency portal

  • Our 24/7 Team confirms the booking and handles the payment

  • No sign-up fees or membership required; just pay the nightly rate (plus any applicable taxes/fees)

💡 Safe Stays is designed for survivor safety, agency workflows, and crisis timing.

 

Which Tool Is Right for You?

Some agencies use The Grove to stretch shelter capacity and Safe Stays as a hotel-based overflow option. Many use both, depending on their clients' needs.


Ready to Learn More?

🌱 Sign up for The Grove
🏨 Schedule a Safe Stays demo

 

 

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