The short answer
- Up to 5 pages, designed for you
- Words drafted for you
- SEO built in from day one
- 10 revision rounds
- Hosting and HTTPS (the padlock)
- Backups and weekly checks
- A/B testing and small edits
- Cancel anytime
Your free 5-page website
How to reach intake, hours, what to bring, who is eligible, and what to do tonight if you need a bed.
Emergency shelter, transitional housing, meals, case management and job help, each in plain language.
Roles, shifts, background check expectations and how to start.
Most needed items, drop-off hours, clothing and hygiene kits, and a Give button to your existing tool.
Mission, staff, service area, partner agencies and a contact form.
What a shelter website has to do in the first 10 seconds
The person who needs you most may be using a library computer or a phone with a cracked screen and a low battery. Information must be short, large and obvious: where to go, when intake opens, and who to ask.
Lead with Get help. Put the plain-language steps first, then fundraising. Supporters and volunteers come second and should have their own clearly labeled path.
What is free and what Website Care covers
The free build is up to 5 pages, with design made for you, wording drafted after a consultation, a mobile layout and 10 revision rounds. The same build normally costs $399 one time as the Launch Website.
Website Care is required at $30 per month. It covers hosting, HTTPS, backups, weekly checks, A/B testing and small edits such as changing winter hours. Recurring plans can be canceled anytime. More than 5 pages is quoted before work starts.
How people find your shelter on Google and in AI assistants
Searches include homeless shelter near me tonight, emergency housing in [city], shelter that accepts families, where to donate clothes to a shelter and volunteer at a homeless shelter near me.
- Titles and headings written around those needs and your location.
- Structured data so Google and AI assistants like ChatGPT can read your name, area and hours.
- An XML sitemap and fast mobile pages.
- Hours and intake details written consistently so maps and search agree.
We cannot promise results in search. Read more about SEO services; the monthly add-on from $50 is optional.
Apply for your free website
Tell us about your group. A real person reviews it and gets back to you, usually within one business day.
Shelter-specific must-haves and pitfalls
- Wrong information hurts. If hours or capacity change, update immediately. Small edits are in Website Care.
- Protect residents. Do not publish names, faces or stories of people staying with you without clear, informed consent. Consider a different address policy for programs serving people at risk of harm.
- Clear eligibility. Families, men, women, veterans, youth: state who you serve and where to go if you cannot help.
- No unnecessary forms. A website should not collect sensitive details like immigration status or health records.
- Respectful language. Describe people first, not labels.
- Needs list. Keep it current so donations are useful.
Programs for survivors of abuse need extra care. Related: food banks and mutual aid groups.
How to get started
- Fill in the short form on this page.
- A real person reviews it and confirms you are a nonprofit or community group.
- We hold a consultation.
- We write the draft.
- You review and ask for changes.
- Launch, in as little as 48 hours for eligible small projects.
See the free nonprofit websites hub. We speak English and Spanish (se habla espanol).
More free nonprofit websites
The website build is free for nonprofits, houses of worship and community groups. Website Care at $30/month is required and can be canceled anytime. Sites larger than 5 pages are quoted before any work starts. Updated October 17, 2026.