Last verified: November 14, 2026
If you need emergency housing in Canada tonight, start here.
Call or text 211. 211 is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day in most of Canada, in more than 150 languages. It can find shelter, food, health and community services near you, and it will give you the shelter intake number for the place where you are right now.
Call or text 988 if you are in distress or thinking about suicide. The 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline is free, available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, in English and French.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
If you have nowhere to sleep tonight, you are not alone, and there is a system built to help you. Every province and territory has emergency shelters, and 211 is the front door to them. Call first if you can: intake staff check what beds are open and match you to a shelter that fits your situation.
Use our crisis helpline tool to find phone, text and chat helplines in Canada and around the world. If you are in Ontario, the Ontario Resource Directory lists 6,295 verified shelters, drop-ins, food, health and housing services across the province, with phone numbers and hours.
Emergency housing in Canada means a safe place to sleep tonight when you have nowhere else to go. It is short-term, not permanent housing. Most emergency shelters provide a bed, meals, showers, laundry, storage for belongings, and staff who can connect you to health care, income support and longer-term housing help. Some shelters serve everyone, and some serve a specific group, such as women and children fleeing abuse, youth, families, or men. Intake staff will ask about your situation so they can send you to the right place.
Emergency housing in Canada is run locally. Each province and territory, and each city or region inside it, has its own system, so the number you call in Vancouver is different from the number you call in Montreal, Halifax or Whitehorse. That is why this page is organised by province and territory, with 211 as the first call everywhere. In Ontario, city-by-city intake numbers are on our Ontario emergency housing guide.
Emergency shelters in Canada serve people who are sleeping outside, in a car, in a place not meant for living, or in a home they have to leave for safety. That includes:
You do not need to be receiving income assistance to stay in an emergency shelter. You do not need ID in most cases to get help on the first night, but bring ID if you have it, because it can speed up intake and later housing applications. If a shelter cannot take you, intake staff should tell you the next option.
Bring only what you can carry. Shelters have limited storage, and you may need to move quickly. If you have them, bring:
Do not bring valuables you cannot keep with you. Tell intake staff about any pet, service animal, mobility or medical need, and whether you feel unsafe, need an interpreter, or need a women-only or family shelter.
Intake is the first conversation, by phone or in person, where staff work out what you need and where you can stay. It usually includes:
If no bed is open, ask intake staff what to do next, and ask them to record that you called. In cold weather, ask about warming centres. Call again later the same night, because beds can open up — and call 211 for other options.
Call 211 first wherever you are. It is the front door to shelter intake in every province and territory. The toll-free numbers below are the alternate numbers published by 211 Canada for people who cannot dial 2-1-1. Hours and numbers can change, so if a number does not answer, call 211.
| Province / Territory | Who to call first | Number | Hours and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 211 Alberta | 2-1-1; Calgary, Central and Southern Alberta 1-855-266-1605; Edmonton and Northern Alberta 1-888-482-4696 | 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages. |
| British Columbia | 211 British Columbia | 2-1-1; toll-free 1-888-484-3211 | In more than 150 languages, by phone, text, chat and web. |
| Manitoba | 211 Manitoba | 2-1-1; toll-free 1-855-275-1197 | 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages. |
| New Brunswick | 211 New Brunswick | 2-1-1; toll-free 1-855-258-4126; TTY 1-855-405-7446 | 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 211 Newfoundland and Labrador | 2-1-1 | 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages. |
| Nova Scotia | 211 Nova Scotia | 2-1-1; toll-free 1-855-466-4994 | 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages. |
| Northwest Territories | 211 Northwest Territories | 2-1-1 | Call 211 for shelter and community services in your community. |
| Nunavut | 211 Nunavut | 2-1-1 | Call 211 for shelter and community services in your community. |
| Ontario | 211 Ontario | 2-1-1; toll-free 1-877-330-3213 | 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages. For city-by-city intake numbers, see our Ontario guide, Toronto tonight and Ottawa hub. |
| Prince Edward Island | 211 PEI | 2-1-1; toll-free 1-844-925-1257 | 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages. |
| Quebec | 211 Quebec | 2-1-1 in Greater Montreal and Quebec City; east and north regions 1-877-211-9933; west regions 1-844-387-3598 | In more than 150 languages. Dialling 2-1-1 works in Greater Montreal and Quebec City; elsewhere in Quebec, use the regional toll-free number for your area. |
| Saskatchewan | 211 Saskatchewan | 2-1-1; toll-free 1-855-275-1197 | 24 hours a day, in more than 100 languages. |
| Yukon | 211 Yukon | 2-1-1 | Call 211 for shelter and community services in your community. |
Source for every number in this table: 211 Canada, full list of 211 service providers (211.ca). See Sources below.
211 is Canada's primary source of information for government and community-based, non-clinical health and social services. It is provided across Canada by United Way Centraide Canada and a national network of 211 service providers. In most of Canada, the free and confidential service can be reached 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages, by phone, chat, text and web. You do not have to give your name to get information from 211.
Use 211 to find the shelter intake route for your city, town or rural area, including places with no central intake line. 211 also connects people to food, health, mental health, income assistance, legal help and newcomer supports.
Emergency shelters are run locally, but the federal government funds much of the system. On November 13, 2026, the federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for housing and homelessness met in Toronto and recommitted to the funding in Budget 2026. What that means for someone looking for help tonight:
Budget 2026 invests $44.7 billion over 11 years in housing and homelessness, with the stated aim of putting Canada on a path towards ending homelessness. The ministers also committed to renew the federal-provincial-territorial bilateral housing agreements before they expire in 2027-28. None of this changes what you should do tonight — call 211.
All figures in this section are from the federal, provincial and territorial housing ministers' joint communiqué of November 13, 2026, and Budget 2026. See Sources below.
Shelters are for anyone with nowhere to go, but some groups have dedicated streams and helplines. Tell intake staff who you are and what you need, so they can match you to the right one.
Youth shelters generally serve young people aged 16 to 24, and some serve youth up to 25 or 26. If you are a young person and need help, call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868, 24 hours a day, or text 686868. Kids Help Phone is Canada's 24/7 e-mental health service for young people, free and confidential, with professional counsellors. It can help you find a youth shelter, or call 211 and ask for one in your area.
Every province and territory has shelters and transition houses for women and children fleeing abuse. Their addresses are kept confidential, so call first and staff will tell you where to go. Call 211 and ask for a women's shelter or transition house in your area. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The Canada Housing Benefit also helps survivors of gender-based violence with rent — ask 211 about it once you are safe.
First Nations, Inuit and Métis people can ask 211 for Indigenous-led shelters and services in their area. The Hope for Wellness Helpline offers immediate help to all Indigenous people across Canada, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: call toll-free 1-855-242-3310 or chat at hopeforwellness.ca. Counselling is available in English and French, and in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut on request. Federal housing funding also includes distinctions-based housing for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
Veterans, former RCMP members, their families and caregivers can call the VAC Assistance Service at 1-800-268-7708, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for free and confidential counselling with a mental health professional (TTY 1-800-567-5803). You do not need to be a client of Veterans Affairs Canada to use it. Reaching Home funding also includes support for veteran homelessness — tell 211 if you are a veteran.
Emergency shelter is for tonight. The steps below are for what comes after tonight. Start them as soon as you can, because waitlists and applications take time.
Subsidized housing, often called rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing, is housing where rent is based on household income. It is run by provinces and territories, and each city or region has its own waiting list and application. Ask 211 or your shelter worker for the subsidized housing application for the place where you want to live, and keep your application up to date, including your address, phone number, household size and income. In Ontario, read our rent-geared-to-income guide for Ontario.
Every province and territory has income assistance and emergency financial help for people in crisis, but amounts, rules and application routes are different in every province and territory, so this page does not list them. Ask 211 or your provincial income assistance office what emergency help you qualify for, and tell them you are homeless or at risk of homelessness. If you are already receiving income assistance, tell your caseworker you are homeless and ask about emergency shelter costs, housing stabilization funds and help with rent or utility arrears.
A notice from your landlord does not evict you on its own. In every province and territory, only a tenancy tribunal, board or court can order an eviction, and only a sheriff or enforcement officer can carry it out. Work through these steps in order, and get help early.
If you are in Ontario, this Canada page is the starting point. For Ontario-specific shelter, housing and next-step help, see our emergency housing Ontario guide, emergency housing in Toronto tonight and the emergency housing Ottawa hub. For subsidized housing in Ontario, see our rent-geared-to-income guide. Search the Ontario Resource Directory for shelters, drop-ins and housing help in your area, and use the crisis helpline tool for helplines by province and topic.
No. Shelters are for people with nowhere else to go. Bring ID if you have it, because it helps with intake and housing applications, but a lack of ID or money should not stop you from calling intake or 211.
Ask intake staff for the next option, call again later, and call 211 for other shelters, warming centres, drop-ins or motel placements in your area. In cold weather, ask specifically about warming centres.
Many shelters serve families, and some cities have a separate family intake line. Tell intake staff who is with you, including children, so they can match you to a family shelter.
You do not pay for an emergency shelter bed. If anyone asks you to pay for a shelter bed, ask intake staff or 211 to confirm the arrangement.
211 is Canada's primary source of information for government and community-based, non-clinical health and social services. It is free and confidential, and in most of Canada it can be reached 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages, by phone, chat, text and web. Call 211 and ask for the shelter intake route for your area.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Otherwise, call 211 and ask for a women's shelter or transition house in your area. Shelter addresses for people fleeing violence are kept confidential, so call first and staff will tell you where to go. You do not need to give your name to 211 to get information.
Ask your shelter worker or 211 about subsidized or rent-geared-to-income housing in your province, and about income assistance and rent help. Applications and waitlists take time, so start them as soon as you can. In Ontario, see our rent-geared-to-income guide.
Call 211 now. Then search the Ontario Resource Directory if you are in Ontario, and use the crisis helpline tool if you need someone to talk to. If you need longer-term help, start a subsidized housing application and ask 211 about income assistance in your province.
Last verified: November 14, 2026. Every phone number on this page was checked against the source named here on that date. Hours, numbers and services can change. Call the number listed, or 211, to confirm before you travel.