This guidebook is based on telephone interviews, conducted in April and May 1989, with the staff of 19 homeless shelters in California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Tennessee, site visits at eight New York State shelter programs, and a review of the research on literacy training for homeless adults. The purpose of this guidebook is to relay other practitioners' experiences so that the new program administrator can provide successful literacy training programs for homeless adults. There are many variables in each setting. Some shelters provide training on site; others refer clients to literacy providers. Some shelters are urban; others are rural. Some shelters serve families; others serve men, women, or single parent families. The following sections are included: (1) program structures and resources, including program structure, administration, planning, support services, instruction, and learning technology; (2) recruitment and retention, focusing on what is needed to encourage homeless learners to participate and persevere in literacy training; (3) program content, building on research findings to develop curriculum guidelines for homeless low-literate students; (4) evaluating program outcomes by assessing program accomplishments, their strengths, and weaknesses, with a sample evaluation tool; (5) three sample lesson plans; and (6) a selected bibliography of 33 readings. The three sample lesson plans are on job advertisements, language and literacy skills, and intergenerational reading. (NLA)