The difficult search for emergency shelter is simplified through our toll-free Shelter Bed Hotline. Callers throughout Northern California receive information about emergency shelter in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area -- 24 hours a day -- with one call to this memorable number -- 1 800 7SHELTER. Using the technology of our Voice Mail system, callers are given a menu of choices including county, language and type of shelter needed. Information is then given on entry requirements, services offered and location of the shelter. After hearing the requirements and services offered -- and determining which shelter best fits their unique needs -- callers in Santa Clara County can press 1 to immediately speak to on site shelter staff about bed availability.

Last year the Hotline received almost 8,000 calls for information about shelter in Santa Clara County alone.

Operative in Santa Clara County since 1993, the Shelter Bed Hotline was expanded in 1998 to include eight other counties as part of the Bay Area Homeless Alliance (BAHA). We are currently working with the Shelter Providers Network, to determine best use of the toll free number to connect homeless County residents to nonprofit programs designed to serve their needs, including the two One Stop Homeless Service Centers, meal providers and job search programs.