Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people. Usually located in urban neighborhoods, they are similar to emergency shelters.

The primary difference is that homeless shelters are usually open to anyone, without regard to the reason for need. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

In the United States, most homeless shelters expect clients to stay elsewhere during the day, returning only to sleep, or, if the shelter also provides meals, to eat; people in emergency shelters are more likely to stay all day, except for work, school, or errands.

There are daytime-only homeless shelters, where the homeless can go when they cannot stay inside at their nighttime sleeping shelter during the day. Such an early model of a daytime homeless shelter providing multi-faceted services is Saint Francis House in Boston, Massachusetts which was officially founded in 1984. It was based on the settlement house, clubhouse and community center support and social service models.

In Australia, due to government funding requirements, most homelessness services fill the role of both daytime and nighttime shelters. Shelters develop empowerment based "wrap around" services in which clients are case managed and supported in their efforts to become self reliant. An example of such a service provider in this area in Australia is Najidah.