Homelessness and emergency shelter

It is for people considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. Whatever your situation, the aim is that you know where to go tonight, what to ask for and what comes after.

Start with "Nowhere to sleep tonight: how to find a bed in Spain". It shows you how to reach an emergency bed or an outreach team in your city.

From there, go to the page that fits your situation:

• "Getting into a shelter as a family, woman, couple or non-resident" covers the barriers each group meets and your options.
• "Sleeping rough: day centres, showers, health care and safety" covers daytime services and how to stay safe.
• "Emergency social housing (vivienda social) when you lose your home" covers the routes, the criteria and the waits.
• "Bridging the first weeks after losing your home" covers combining temporary lodging, family, charity and aid while a longer solution is arranged.

Eviction procedure, registering an address without a fixed home, and assisted return home are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Referral first: In most larger cities, a municipal shelter bed is arranged through social services or the outreach team, while winter campaigns and some NGO shelters accept people directly.
• Emergency number: If someone sleeping rough is in danger, call 112, which is free and answered 24 hours.
• Violence helpline: Women fleeing gender violence can call 016, which is free, confidential and open 24 hours.
• Emergency beds: Emergency overnight beds generally do not require padrón or legal residence.
• No national list: Each region and many city councils set their own vulnerability criteria, so check the rules where you live.
• Social report: The social report from your local social services sets your priority, so the first appointment is the key step.

Homelessness and emergency shelter: the whole process, step by step

• Find a bed or an outreach team for tonight (read: Nowhere to sleep tonight: how to find a bed in Spain): today, as soon as you know you have nowhere to sleep

• Check the extra routes open to families, women, couples and people not registered locally (read: Getting into a shelter as a family, woman, couple or non-resident): the same day if you are in one of these groups

• Use day centres, showers and health care while you are without housing (read: Sleeping rough: day centres, showers, health care and safety): from the first days

• Register on the padrón (the town register) using the social-services address, since longer stays, social housing and aid often need it: as early as you can, because many services ask for a minimum registration period, for example 6 to 12 months or more depending on the region

• Cover the first weeks with temporary lodging, family, charity and aid (read: Bridging the first weeks after losing your home): during the first weeks

• Apply for emergency or social housing (read: Emergency social housing (vivienda social) when you lose your home): emergency allocations often take weeks to months; ordinary lists in big urban areas can take several years

Waits and registration periods differ by region and city, so check the current figures with your town hall's social services.

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Padrón registration — Getting into a shelter as a family, woman, couple or non-resident, Sleeping rough: day centres, showers, health care and safety
• Your ID — Sleeping rough: day centres, showers, health care and safety, Bridging the first weeks after losing your home
• Empadronamiento certificate from your town hall — Emergency social housing (vivienda social) when you lose your home
• Proof of empadronamiento — Bridging the first weeks after losing your home

Income and work

• Proof of your income — Emergency social housing (vivienda social) when you lose your home
• Details of your income — Bridging the first weeks after losing your home

Other documents

• Evidence of the need — Bridging the first weeks after losing your home
• Social-services report — Getting into a shelter as a family, woman, couple or non-resident
• Proof of stay in Spain or of lack of resources — Sleeping rough: day centres, showers, health care and safety
• Copies of your key documents — Sleeping rough: day centres, showers, health care and safety

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Homelessness and emergency shelter: questions that cross several articles

Do I need to be on the padrón to get a bed or help?

No, street outreach teams, day centres, soup kitchens, emergency beds and NGO shelters usually do not ask for the padrón. Longer stays, social housing, rental aid and regional minimum income often do, sometimes after 6 to 12 months or more. Read "Nowhere to sleep tonight: how to find a bed in Spain" and "Emergency social housing (vivienda social) when you lose your home".

Can I get public health care if I have no home or papers?

Yes, you can get urgent care anywhere, and undocumented adults can also get ordinary public health care through their region, usually with a padrón registration. Homeless people can use the social-services address for the padrón.

What can I do if my town has no shelter?

Go to the town hall's social services first, because the social worker can arrange a place in the provincial or regional network or transport to the nearest city. Local Cáritas and Cruz Roja also give food and referrals. Read "Nowhere to sleep tonight: how to find a bed in Spain" and "Bridging the first weeks after losing your home".

How long is the wait for social housing?

In big urban areas such as Catalonia, Madrid, the Basque Country, Valencia and the Balearic Islands, ordinary lists often take several years. Emergency allocations are faster, often weeks to months. Read "Emergency social housing (vivienda social) when you lose your home" and "Bridging the first weeks after losing your home" for what to do meanwhile.