Describe your facility before comparing products
Write down your bed count, programs, staffing pattern, current tools, and required reporting processes. Include who will configure the system and help staff get started. Identify special service or data requirements before testing, and use fictional records in demonstrations.
Agree which requirements must be met before adoption and which are preferences. For example, if your team requires automatic HMIS sync, record that as a must-have before comparing other features; ShelterCurrent does not offer it.
Invite a frontline staff member and the person responsible for reporting to take part. They may notice repeated work that is not obvious in a sales presentation.
Ask for four concrete demonstrations
- A bed changes status. Can the next staff member tell whether it is ready, reserved, cleaning, or unavailable?
- A person arrives. Follow the intake and placement steps, including an arrival that cannot be accommodated.
- The night needs a count. Review attendance, identify a gap, and see what staff do next.
- The shift changes. Find open work and establish who will follow up.
Use fictional data. Ask what is saved, what remains incomplete, and how another staff member finds the result.
Check the details behind the demonstration
- Access: Does each staff member have an individual account? Who can manage settings and remove access?
- HMIS: What actually transfers? Is sync available today, or will staff enter information separately?
- Setup: Who creates rooms and beds? Is any import included, and what preparation is required?
- Support: Which channels and hours are offered? Is a response commitment included?
- Continuity: What does your team do during an internet or service outage?
- Exports: Which records can you export, in what form, and how will you use them after leaving?
- Terms: Review eligibility, payment methods, renewal, cancellation, and data handling before subscribing.
Compare the total effort and price
List the subscription, any staff or facility fees, setup work, and training time. Include repeated entry into HMIS and any manual reporting work that will remain.
Ask for a clear distinction between what is available now, what needs configuration, and what is only planned. Treat a roadmap as a future possibility, not a current capability.
Record the evidence in a comparison worksheet
Use the free shelter software evaluation worksheet and demo checklist to compare vendors in Excel, or take the Word or PDF checklist into a demonstration. Mark requirements demonstrated, needing follow-up, or not available, with the evidence and date.
For example, if a vendor shows a CSV export but does not demonstrate an HMIS import, record the export as demonstrated and the import question as unresolved. A scorecard is useful only when the evidence supports each answer; this worksheet has no predetermined vendor scores.
Resolve must-have requirements before accepting terms. If software improves one task but makes the rest of the shift harder, revisit the fit. A smaller change to your current process may be the better first step.
Evaluating ShelterCurrent
ShelterCurrent is built for privately operated U.S. emergency shelters with roughly 10–100 beds. The standard service is one facility at $79/month plus applicable taxes, with no per-user charge. Manual setup and email support are included in the service model; automated HMIS sync, a free trial, and an annual plan are not offered.
Read the full eligibility details, security information, and support coverage. This guide is published by ShelterCurrent, so use it as an evaluation aid rather than an independent vendor ranking.