When someone needs a safe place today — a person being discharged with nowhere to go, an older adult who can no longer be left alone, a family member in crisis — the normal placement timeline doesn't help. Here's who to call, in the order that actually gets a same-day answer.
If there is any danger, start here
- 911 — immediate danger to anyone.
- 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call or text, 24 hours. Veterans press 1.
- 1-877-424-3838 — the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, any hour.
For a same-day placement, use the systems that hold emergency beds
Regular providers rarely have a bed free on the day you call. These do, or can find one fast:
- A hospital discharge planner or ED social worker — if the person is in a hospital, this is your fastest route. Ask for them by name.
- Your county's mobile crisis team — for a behavioral-health crisis, they can assess and place.
- Adult Protective Services (for an at-risk adult) or Child Protective Services (for a minor) — reachable through 211.
- The managed care organization's care manager — if the person is on Medicaid managed care, the plan has staff who arrange urgent placement.
- 211 — the single best first call for housing, shelter, and local services anywhere in the US, free and 24 hours.
Have this ready — but don't wait to have all of it
Speed matters more than a perfect file. Have what you can: name, date of birth, diagnosis, any behavior flags, funding type (Medicaid, VA, private, or unknown), county, and guardian info. Send or say what you have and start the process — the gaps can be filled as you go.
Know the rights that protect against a bad "quick" placement
Urgency is where corners get cut. Wherever someone lands, they keep their rights — and a placement can't lawfully be a discharge to the street. Read resident rights and how to report a problem, and the plain answers on how placement works in our FAQ.
Every number, by state
We keep a maintained list of the agencies and helplines that can act today, organized by state, so you're not searching blind in a crisis: where to get help today.
Where Mai Heaven fits
Mai Heaven is being built for hard, urgent placements — but we're pre-licence and cannot take anyone today. Use the numbers above for a bed now. What we can do is add the person to a waiting list a real person reads, and be honest about whether we're a fit as our homes come online.