If you truly have nowhere to sleep, a 24-hour place is only an emergency fix for one night; go to a rescue station first

Cost

Waiting areas at airports and train stations are usually free. Fast-food restaurants and internet cafes cost a little to buy something. You won't sleep well, and your belongings may be stolen. The hard part is not daring to really sleep all night.

What you get

A 24-hour place can get you through a night, with toilets and charging, but there is no official figure on how safe it is. As for rescue stations, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (民政部) requires the assistance hotline to be open around the clock and staffed 24 hours a day. A person in distress who comes in asking for help is assisted first, as policy requires. People with no work lined up, who have been robbed or had things stolen, or who have suddenly lost their means of living can get emergency transitional living support. Places that can will open sites such as community service centers as temporary shelters. In winter, people in distress are also guided to rescue stations or temporary cold shelters. For those unwilling to enter a station, patrol staff give food, clothing and warm supplies and leave contact information for seeking help. Patrols are increased at night and in cold, rainy, snowy or icy weather. Train and bus stations, ports, underpasses, bridges and culverts, and construction sites are the priority patrol areas (nationwide; civil affairs departments have run special winter assistance campaigns every year since 2013)

Notes

The safety risks are real. Keep your belongings on your body, don't accept drinks or food from strangers, and avoid isolated corners. At night, do not sleep outdoors under bridges, by rivers or on construction sites. Sleeping outdoors in extreme weather can kill. For what a rescue station provides in food and housing and whether it gives a ticket, see §7.4 (go to a rescue station when you have nowhere else to turn). A rescue station takes only people who cannot arrange food and housing themselves and have no relatives or friends to turn to. You must explain your situation honestly when you enter; those who refuse to are not assisted. The Ministry of Civil Affairs requirements above come from the notice issued in the winter of 2022; each year local areas issue their own arrangements for that year, so go by what applies locally. Some places clear people out in the middle of the night, so don't get into a conflict with security.

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. Author's experience (the part on 24-hour venues)
2. General Office of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (2022). Notice on Doing a Solid Job on the "Bringing Warmth in Winter" Special Relief Campaign [in Chinese] (Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5; Part 3: "Keep relief hotlines open around the clock, respond promptly to leads from people asking for help, and, in accordance with policy, give relief first to people in distress who come forward for help"). https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2022-12/11/content_5731351.htm
3. Ministry of Civil Affairs, Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Ministry of Public Security and other departments (11 in all) (2020). Notice on Launching a Special Campaign to Greatly Improve the Quality of Relief and Management Services for Homeless Wandering and Begging Persons [in Chinese] (Min Fa [2020] No. 14, Part 2, item 3: "Keep up special relief work such as 'Bringing Warmth in Winter' and 'Bringing Coolness in Summer' during extreme weather"). https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2020-03/24/content_5494916.htm
4. Ministry of Civil Affairs (2003). Detailed Rules for Implementing the Measures for the Relief and Management of Homeless Wandering and Begging Persons in Cities [in Chinese] (Ministry of Civil Affairs Order No. 24, Articles 2, 3 and 5). https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2003/content_62510.htm

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 7, tip 21. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer