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Programs that coordinate requests for emergency shelter by screening homeless individuals who apply using criteria established by the shelters, maintaining lists of individuals who have been aided, and checking new applicants against the lists before referring them to a resource that can meet their needs. Emergency shelter clearinghouses help to avoid duplication of service and maximize the availability of shelter resources while relieving the agencies of the task of handling requests directly. Also included are programs that refer people needing shelter to an appropriate resource, but which are not the sole source for this information.