Nowhere to sleep tonight: how to find a bed in Spain

Key rules

• Danger: If someone sleeping rough is in danger, call 112, which is free and answered 24 hours.
• Referral: In most larger cities a municipal bed is arranged through social services or the outreach team, while winter campaigns and some NGO shelters accept people directly.
• Papers: Having no papers or no registered address does not normally stop you getting emergency help.
• Cost: Emergency shelter beds are generally free.

Who to contact first

Go to your town hall's social services (servicios sociales), or call the city's street outreach team if it has one. 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. So a referral or an assessment is usually the way in. The city's shelter entry point does the same job: it assigns the bed.

If you cannot reach them, go to a day centre or shelter run by an NGO such as Cáritas or Cruz Roja. They can take you in or refer you on.

If someone is in danger

Call 112. It is free and answered 24 hours, in several languages. Use it for a medical emergency, cold exposure, violence or fire. It sends ambulance, police or fire services.

Big cities

Several large cities run outreach teams, often operated by NGOs.

• Madrid has SAMUR Social. Reach it through the municipal line 010 or its own 24-hour line.
• Barcelona has an urgent social service and a street team network. Call the 24-hour line 900 703 030 or 010.
• Valencia, Málaga, Sevilla, Bilbao and Zaragoza have street teams that work with Cruz Roja, Cáritas and other NGOs. Reach them through municipal social services or the city's 010 line.

Numbers and hours change, so check the current ones on the town hall's website. The city list below shows where to ask in the main cities.

What to say and bring

Say plainly that you have nowhere to sleep tonight and ask for a bed. Ask for an assessment with a social worker (a valoración). Bring any ID you have. Not having papers or empadronamiento is not a reason to be turned away in an emergency. The checklist below has the full list.

What it costs

Public and NGO emergency shelters are generally free for the bed and basic services. Longer-stay centres may ask for a small contribution if you have income. The amount varies by centre.

In a small town

Smaller towns usually have no shelter. Go to the town hall's social services. The social worker can arrange a place in the provincial or regional network, give emergency aid, or arrange transport to a shelter in the nearest city. Local Cáritas parishes and Cruz Roja offices also give food, help and referrals.

Choosing between options

Where should you go first to find a bed tonight?

• Social services or the outreach team: You are in a larger city with an emergency social service or street outreach team. A bed is usually assigned through them.

• A Cáritas or Cruz Roja centre, day centre or shelter: You cannot reach social services, or it is closed. These NGOs can take you in or refer you on.

• Your town hall's social services: You are in a smaller town without a shelter.

If your city has an outreach team or emergency social service, start there; if not, go to the town hall's social services. If you cannot reach either, try an NGO centre.

If you have nowhere to sleep tonight

• Call your town hall's social services (servicios sociales) or the city's street outreach team and say you have nowhere to sleep tonight.

• Call 112 if you or someone else is in danger, for example a medical emergency, cold exposure, violence or fire.

• Carry any ID you have: DNI, NIE, residence card or passport. Lacking papers is normally not a reason to refuse emergency help.

• Bring your empadronamiento certificate (proof you are registered at an address), health card, medical reports, medication, proof of income or benefits, and a phone with charger if you have them.

• Ask for meals, showers, laundry and a locker, and how long you can stay.

• Ask about registering for empadronamiento, including the option of registering without a fixed address, and about access to health care.

• Ask about help with documents, benefits such as the ingreso mínimo vital or regional income support, and referral to longer-term places.

• Ask for the social worker's name and contact details before you leave.

Where to ask for emergency shelter in major Spanish cities

• SAMUR Social, Madrid's emergency social service: Ask for an assessment and a place in the municipal shelter network. It works 24 hours; reach it through the city line 010, its own 24-hour phone, the Centro de Acogida San Isidro or your local social services centre.

• Servei d'Atenció Social d'Urgència (SUDS) and Servei d'Inserció Social (SIS), Barcelona: Call the 24-hour social emergency line 900 703 030, or go through a city social services centre or the Centre d'Acollida. NGOs such as Cáritas and Arrels Fundació also help.

• Valencia social services and the Centro Municipal de Atención a Personas Sin Hogar (CAST): Go through the social services centre for your area or the municipal outreach team. The 010 line can direct you to the right office; Cáritas and Cruz Roja also act as entry points.

• Área de Derechos Sociales of the Ayuntamiento de Málaga: Go to a municipal social services centre (Centro de Servicios Sociales Comunitarios) or the Centro Municipal de Acogida. The 010 line can direct you; Cáritas, Cruz Roja and Málaga Acoge also guide people.

Addresses, phone lines and hours change, so confirm them with the city's town hall before you go.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay for an emergency shelter bed?

No, public and NGO emergency shelters are generally free for the bed and basic services. Longer-stay or transition centres may ask for a small contribution if you have income, and the amount varies by centre.

What can I do in a small town with no shelter?

Go to the town hall's social services (servicios sociales) and ask the social worker for help.

Can I get into a shelter without a referral?

Sometimes, yes: winter cold-weather campaigns and some NGO shelters and low-threshold centres accept people directly when you arrive. In most larger cities, municipal shelter places go through social services or the outreach team, so ask them first.

How do I reach the street outreach team in Madrid or Barcelona?

In Madrid, SAMUR Social is reached through the municipal line 010 or its own 24-hour line. In Barcelona, the 24-hour line 900 703 030 or 010 connects you to the urgent social service. In other large cities, ask municipal social services or the 010 information line.