Getting into a shelter as a family, woman, couple or non-resident

Terms used

• Padrón — The padrón is the municipal register of residents, issued by your town hall, and often needed for longer-stay places and local aid.
• IMV — The IMV is the state minimum living income, a benefit that requires legal residence.
• Cáritas — Cáritas is a Catholic charity that runs shelters and social help.
• Cruz Roja — Cruz Roja is the Spanish Red Cross, which runs shelters and emergency aid.
• Casa de acogida — A casa de acogida is a safe house for women fleeing gender violence, usually taking their children too.

Key rules

• Gender violence line: 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.
• Longer stays: Longer-stay places usually need padrón, often with a minimum registration time that varies by region.
• Couples and pets: Policy on couples and pets is set by each centre, so ask before you go.

Ask for the right type of place

Access depends on the shelter. Families, couples, pets and people without papers are each treated differently, so ask for the type of place that fits you. Asking a general men's shelter for a family room wastes a night. Start with social services at your town hall, which can point you to the right place.

If you have no padrón or residence papers

You can usually still get an emergency bed. Emergency overnight beds, cold-weather campaigns, day centres, soup kitchens and NGO shelters such as Cáritas and Cruz Roja generally do not ask for padrón or legal residence.

Longer-stay places, social housing, Housing First programmes and local benefits usually do ask for padrón, often after a minimum time registered. The length varies by region and city, so ask how long it is. The state minimum living income (IMV) needs legal residence.

If you have no fixed address, social services can issue a report that lets you register in the padrón anyway, whatever your immigration status. Ask for it early, because it opens the longer-stay options.

Asylum seekers use a separate state reception system, not the general shelters.

If you are a woman fleeing violence

Call 016. It is free, confidential and open 24 hours, and it does not appear on the phone bill. In an emergency, call 112.

Through social services, the police or your region's women's service, you can get a place in an emergency centre, a safe house (casa de acogida) or a supervised flat. These usually take your children too. They are open whatever your immigration status, and in many regions you do not need to file a formal complaint first. Rules on stay length differ by region. Some cities also have women-only homeless shelters and charity centres.

If you have children

Most large-city shelters are for single adults. Families are usually placed in family units, emergency flats, pensiones paid by the council, or charity centres. Access normally goes through social services. Authorities try to keep children housed with their parents. Places are limited and stays are time-limited, and availability varies by town.

If you are a couple

Most traditional shelters separate men and women, so couples are often split. A growing number of centres have couple-friendly rooms or flats, and family units, Housing First programmes and some charity centres with mixed areas can take couples. Policy differs by centre, so ask before you go.

If you have a pet

Most public shelters do not take pets. A few municipal or NGO centres have kennels or pet-friendly rooms, and some Housing First projects and women's shelters accept animals. Animal protection groups and councils sometimes arrange temporary foster care during your stay. Ask about this when you first call.

If you are a short-stay visitor

Public shelters are meant for people in social exclusion, not tourists. If you are stranded, you may get an emergency bed for a night or a few days, but longer stays are normally refused. Contact your consulate, the Red Cross or Cáritas, or look at hostels.

The decision guide, documents list and checklist below help you choose and prepare. If a shelter is full or turns you away, read the section below on that.

Choosing between options

Which type of place should you ask for?

• Women's emergency centre or safe house: You are a woman fleeing violence. Call 016, which is free, confidential and open 24 hours.

• Emergency overnight bed or NGO shelter: You have no padrón or residence status and need somewhere tonight. These generally do not ask for registration.

• Longer-stay or transitional place: You are registered in the padrón, often for a minimum period, and social services have assessed you.

• Hostel, consulate or Red Cross: You are a tourist or short-stay visitor. Public shelters are not designed for you, though a stranded visitor may get an emergency bed for a short time.

If you are fleeing violence, call 016 first. Otherwise, if you are not registered, ask for emergency beds.

Documents you need

• Padrón registration (empadronamiento), the municipal register issued by your town hall: needed for longer-stay or transitional places, social housing, rental aid and regional minimum-income schemes, often after a minimum registration period such as 6–12 months or more. Emergency beds usually do not need it.

• Social-services report: if you have no fixed address, this report from social services lets you register in the padrón (empadronamiento por circunstancias excepcionales), whatever your immigration status.

• Proof of legal residence: needed for the state minimum living income (IMV). It is not needed for emergency beds.

Checklist

• Ask the shelter or social services whether couples can stay together, or whether you would be split between men's and women's facilities.

• Ask whether the shelter admits pets, and ask social services or a local animal group about temporary foster care for your pet.

• Ask social services for a report so you can register in the padrón without a fixed address, if you need longer-stay places.

• Ask how long you must be registered in the padrón before a longer-stay place or housing aid is open to you.

• Contact your consulate, the Red Cross or Cáritas if you are a short-stay visitor who is stranded.

Policies on couples, pets and visitors vary by city and centre, so confirm each one directly.

What if the shelter is full or turns you away?

A refusal is not the end. Ask why, then go to a duty team, an NGO or another route the same day.

Ask why you were refused

Ask the staff for the reason, and ask for it in writing. The reason tells you what to fix or where to go next. Common reasons are:

• No free beds.
• No referral from social services, where the city requires one.
• No padrón (your town hall address registration) or no local link to the city.
• A past expulsion, or violent or disruptive behaviour.
• Visible intoxication, or alcohol or drugs on the premises.
• Health or mental-health needs the centre cannot handle.
• You do not fit the centre's profile, such as women-only, families only or an age group.
• Immigration status or limits on length of stay, in some centres.

Rules differ by city and by the organisation running the centre.

If the shelter is full

Go to municipal social services (servicios sociales) or the city's emergency social service. They can find another place or an overflow bed. Many cities have a 24-hour line or street outreach teams. Madrid has SAMUR Social and Barcelona has the Servei d'Atenció Social. Ask your town hall for the number in your city, as phone numbers vary.

If you are in danger or it is a medical emergency, call 112.

If you are willing to move, another city is an option. Some shelters ask for a local link or a referral, so ask before you travel.

Try an NGO

Charities run beds and hostels outside the city system. Examples are Cáritas, Cruz Roja, Hogar Sí, Fundación RAIS, Sant Joan de Déu, Mensajeros de la Paz, Betel, Remar and the Salvation Army (Ejército de Salvación). Médicos del Mundo gives support and referrals. Provivienda helps with housing.

You can usually walk in, phone, or be sent by an outreach team. Some ask for an interview first. Availability varies by city, so call before you go.

If you have no papers

You can still get help.

• Cáritas, Cruz Roja, Accem, Médicos del Mundo, Sant Joan de Déu and religious hostels help without asking for papers. They offer beds, food, legal advice and referrals.
• Municipal emergency social services must give basic emergency help.
• Urgent health care is open to everyone.
• You can register on the padrón without papers. It helps you get access to services.
• If you want international protection, apply for asylum. This opens the separate reception system. CEAR can advise on asylum.
• Legal-aid groups can help you challenge a refusal or look at settlement routes (arraigo).

Some shelters limit places for people without papers, so ask several.

If you think the refusal was unfair

Complain in this order:

1. The centre's management.
2. Social services.
3. The town hall's complaints system.
4. The Defensor del Pueblo, or your region's ombudsman.

An NGO or legal-aid group can help you write the complaint.

What to do if a shelter in Spain is full or refuses you: ask why, call emergency social services, try NGO beds, and complain if the refusal seems unfair. Includes options if you have no papers.

• Ask why: Ask for the reason for refusal in writing, because it decides your next step.
• Full shelter: Go to municipal social services or the city's emergency social service, which can find another bed.
• Emergency: Call 112 if you are in danger or need urgent medical help.
• No papers: Many NGOs help without papers, and urgent health care is open to everyone.

Services, phone numbers and refusal criteria differ by city and by operator, so confirm details with your town hall's social services.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a shelter bed without being registered in the padrón?

Yes, emergency overnight beds, winter cold campaigns and NGO shelters such as Cáritas and Cruz Roja generally do not ask for padrón (municipal registration) or residence status. Longer-stay places usually do ask for it, often with a minimum registration time. You can often register without a fixed address through a social-services report.

Can I bring my dog or cat to a shelter?

Most public shelters do not take pets, because of shared dormitories, hygiene rules and limited space. A few city or NGO centres have kennels or pet-friendly rooms, and some women's shelters and Housing First projects accept animals. Ask social services about temporary foster care for your pet during your stay.

Can a tourist sleep in a public homeless shelter?

Usually no for longer stays, because public shelters are meant for people in social exclusion, not tourists. A stranded or destitute visitor may still get an emergency bed for a night or a few days. Contact your consulate, the Red Cross or Cáritas, and call 112 in an emergency.

Will a shelter keep my family together if I have children?

Often yes, but not in general shelters, which mostly serve single adults.