Reply #237: Not all shelters, not everyone can access a shelter

[Oak2004]

It is incorrect to make this general statement. In fact it is not true in all instances, given that shelters are an ad hoc, community by community, response to homelessness, each with its own rules, and that not every homeless person has access to a shelter.

One example of a common policy at shelters that makes voicemail near-useless: opening the shelter for the night, and allowing access to it (and telephones) after normal business hours, and closing it for the day at about the beginning of business hours. That lets people *listen* to their voicemail for free, but makes it impossible for them to reply to their voicemail without paying for it.

Another common example: homeless people in rural areas are often many miles away from the "local" shelter.