Welcome!

We invite you to participate in a short survey that will help inform an upcoming Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness (ICPH) policy brief on what defines a “quality” shelter for families with children.

This survey should take approximately 8–10 minutes to complete.
This effort combines research, provider input, and interviews to highlight effective practices in family shelters across the U.S., with a focus on serving children and families. Your perspective is essential to ensure this work reflects the realities and expertise of providers in the field. Please provide your responses by Thursday, July 16, 2026.

Please reach out to James Dysart with any questions about the survey at JDysart@ICPH.org.

This survey is intended for organizations and programs that provide emergency shelter or temporary housing to families with children experiencing homelessness. To ensure that we are on the same page, we use the following definitions.

Families with children: families typically made up of at least one adult and one child living together, a pregnant woman, or a family containing a pregnant woman.
Emergency shelter: provides temporary or nightly shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness.
Transitional Housing: provides people experiencing homelessness a place to stay combined with supportive services.

Select the Next below to start the survey.

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