Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS)

Mission: To alleviate homelessness by providing shelter, meals and an array of services which enable people to pursue economic self sufficiency and decent affordable housing.

For nearly 35 years, COTS has served the most vulnerable in our community. COTS is one of the largest providers of housing to homeless families in the City of Detroit — sheltering more than 100 homeless children nightly. COTS provides emergency shelter for families, supportive services, mobility coaching through our Passport to Self-Sufficiency™, child care, long-term housing and safe transitional housing for families. COTS’ Passport to Self-Sufficiency™ assists families in reaching their housing, economic, health, education, and career goals through coaching, men­tor­ship, and support as they strive to overcome homelessness and break the cycle of poverty for the next gen­er­a­tion and beyond.

On an average night in Detroit, more than 10,000 individuals and families are homeless. COTS Emergency Shelter operates at or near capacity consistently throughout the year, providing approximately 50,000 shelter nights each year to about 2,800 homeless individuals and families.