As a noun, it is a place that provides protection from weather, danger, or harm. As a verb, it means to protect someone or something by giving them cover or a safe place.
Probably from a combination of 'shelve' or 'shield' and 'tar' (a suffix), evolving in Middle English. The root idea is of a protective cover or shield.
From animal shelters to bomb shelters, the word always centers on one idea: a safe bubble against a harsh outside. When people say 'shelter in place', they’re turning any building into a temporary fortress.
Shelters, especially domestic violence and homeless shelters, have been crucial for women and children fleeing gender-based violence and economic precarity. Discussion of shelters has sometimes obscured the systemic gendered violence that makes them necessary.
When discussing shelters, be explicit about who they serve (women, men, nonbinary people, families) and avoid stigmatizing residents.
["refuge","safe housing","temporary housing"]
Acknowledge the work of women-led organizations and advocates who built shelter networks and reshaped legal and social responses to violence.
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