Homeless Survey Template: Emergency Shelter

This survey template is intended for organizations operating emergency shelters for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Emergency shelter is often the first point of contact for people in crisis, providing immediate safety and stability while longer-term housing solutions are pursued. Gathering resident feedback is essential for understanding whether shelter operations are meeting basic needs while maintaining dignity, safety, and respect.

Emergency shelters serve some of the most vulnerable people in any community individuals fleeing domestic violence, people with untreated mental health or substance use conditions, families in acute housing crisis, and those with no other options. The shelter environment can either reinforce trauma or begin to heal it, depending on how it is operated. Resident feedback is one of the most direct ways for shelter operators to understand whether their programs are achieving the latter.

This template collects feedback on fundamental shelter experience factors, including the safety and cleanliness of the facility, quality and accessibility of meals, staff responsiveness and professionalism, availability of essential items such as hygiene products and bedding, access to case management and referral services, and whether residents feel treated with dignity and respect during their stay.

Use the survey data to identify areas for operational improvement, address safety or staffing concerns, and demonstrate accountability to funders and community partners. Regularly tracking resident satisfaction over time reveals patterns that can inform staffing decisions, facility upgrades, and policy adjustments. Ensuring that resident voices are genuinely heard and acted upon also builds trust a critical ingredient in transitioning people from emergency shelter to stable housing.