You Are Leaving the Shelter for a Meeting

You are in a shelter and the meeting is across town. If you cannot get there, use a phone or online meeting. No dues. You are welcome regardless of income.

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Key takeaway

You are leaving a shelter for a meeting across town, and the night has a clock. If you cannot get there and back, use a phone or online meeting. You still have a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues. You are welcome regardless of income. Use a way you already know, or stay and call in.

Last updated: 2026-10-06

The bag is on your shoulder. The meeting is across town. Behind you is the shelter, and a clock that may not care about a share. You want to stop drinking. You also want a bed when the night is over. Those two wants are allowed to sit in the same body. The distance between them is the problem in front of you.

You still have a desire to stop. That desire is enough. You are welcome regardless of income. There are no dues or fees.

Across town may not happen

If you know a way to get there and a way to get back, and both are real, go. Walk in and listen. You do not have to tell the room where you slept. Identifying yourself is not mandatory. You can just listen. If a basket comes around, let it go by. Nothing is owed in the basket. The long form of Tradition Three says membership ought never depend upon money or conformity.

If you cannot get across town, stay where you are safe. A phone meeting is a real meeting. An online meeting is a real meeting if you can get to a signal. Meetings are in person, online, or by telephone. Some online meetings keep the video off. Use that if a camera in a shelter is too much face.

aa.org does not contain a meeting finder. Confirm any time you do use. Listings on this site are not verified. A listing that looks close on a screen may be farther than your night can afford.

You still get to want to stop

Housing trouble does not shrink the desire. There is a separate guide for addiction and homelessness when you need to talk about a bed and about care in the same breath. Read it when you can. It is not a bus schedule, and it is not a promise of a key tonight. A meeting will not assign you a bunk. Peer support is not a shelter system.

NIDA says groups like A.A. are peer-led and not a substitute for treatment. If you are sick, shaking hard, confused, or cannot breathe, call 911 before you worry about either door. If the night tips into wanting to die, call or text 988. For a treatment referral, call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral. That number is not an A.A. intergroup and not the shelter front desk.

A page about having no car can help on a different hour, when the question is a ride in general. Tonight the question is whether leaving the shelter strands you. If it does, stay and find a voice on a phone.

Tonight

If you can reach the room and still get back to a bed, go and listen. If the distance will strand you, stay and use a phone or online meeting. You do not need money for either. You do not have to explain the bag.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Can I go to a meeting if I am staying in a shelter?

Yes. Anyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome, regardless of income. You do not need a lease or a paycheck to take a chair. There are no dues or fees. You can sit and listen. Identifying yourself is not mandatory, so you do not have to say where you slept. The long form of Tradition Three says membership ought never depend upon money or conformity. The shelter does not cancel the desire.

What if I cannot cross town and still get back?

Stay. Use a phone meeting or an online meeting from the shelter if you have a way to connect, or from any place you will not get stranded. Meetings are in person, online, or by telephone. A meeting you can finish and still have a bed is worth more than a room you cannot return from. Confirm the time before you count on a listing. The search on this site is not verified.

Do I need money for the meeting?

No. There are no dues or fees. If a basket comes around, you can let it pass. Groups are supported by voluntary contributions, and an empty hand is allowed. You are welcome regardless of income. Do not skip the meeting because you cannot pay. Do not hand over money you need for food because the room felt formal. The chair is not for sale.

What if I do not know how to get across town?

Then do not guess a route. A wrong bus could leave you outside after the door is locked. If you cannot get there, choose phone or online. If someone you trust already knows a real way, and you can still get back, use what they know. A night with no car is a different problem. Tonight, the shelter clock comes first.

Where do I look when housing and drinking are both the problem?

Start with the guide on addiction and homelessness. A meeting is peer support, not a housing office and not detox. If you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe, call 911. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. For a treatment referral, call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral. That line is not the shelter desk.