Shelter - Definition and Overview

Shelter can refer to several things:

• A place that protects, to a larger or smaller extent, against some or all of the following:
  • the weather (precipitation, wind, heat, cold)
  • intruding humans and animals, etc.

Examples:

• • A place in which people live, a house.
  • A place of refuge, such as a women's shelter for abused women or a homeless shelter for vagrants.
  • A shortened name for an animal shelter, which usually houses stray pets.
  • A place to stand or sit when:
    • waiting at public transport stops for a bus (bus shelter), tram (tram stop), train (shelter on a railway platform), taxi (taxi stand), ferryboat / water taxi, etc.
    • having a cigarette.
  • A mountain shelter
• Shelter (charity) is a British charity campaigning to end homelessness and bad housing.
• Shelter (band) is a hardcore Hare Krishna band.