housing and urban development of the united states spreads information about what does and does not work when providing shelter for homeless people. that information about the things that seem to work is called "best practices". hud defines homeless as 1. somebody who lacks a fixed, regular, and decent place to sleep at night or 2. somebody who sleeps at night in a.a supervised shelter (including welfare hotels, homeless shelters, warming centers and transitional housing) ; b. a place that provides a temporary residence for people waiting for space in a place like a hospital, jail or hospice; or c. places not designed for human beings to sleep, such as parks or public sidewalks.