Leaving tonight: emergency shelter for abuse victims

Terms used

• Empadronamiento — Empadronamiento is your registration at your town hall as living at an address.
• Centro de emergencia — A centro de emergencia is a place for short, immediate stays right after an abuse crisis.
• Casa de acogida — A casa de acogida is a shelter for medium stays, with social, psychological and legal support for women and children.
• Piso tutelado — A piso tutelado is a supervised flat that helps you live independently after a shelter stay.

Key rules

• Immediate danger: Call 112 or the police; for advice and a local shelter contact, call 016.
• Status: Your immigration status does not block emergency shelter.
• Complaint: In most regions you do not need to file a police complaint to get an emergency place.
• Children: Shelters take women together with their children.

Call 016 or 112 now

If you are in danger tonight, call 112 or the police. Emergency entry is available 24 hours a day.

If you can plan a little, call 016. It is free, confidential, open 24 hours, available in many languages and does not appear on your phone bill. They can point you to the shelter network where you live.

How you get a place

Emergency shelter is reached through 016, social services or the police. A health service or a court can also refer you. The region or town council that runs the network gives you the place, usually after a social worker looks at your risk and needs.

Shelters run by region. Each region (and many city councils) has its own network, rules and name for things. The Basque Country and Catalonia also have their own helplines alongside 016. Locations are confidential, so you will be told the address only when you are accepted.

You do not need papers

Emergency shelter is open to you whatever your immigration status. You do not need residence papers or empadronamiento. Social services can help you register afterwards.

If you are in an irregular situation and report the abuse, you can also apply for a residence authorisation as a victim of gender violence. Ask social services or a lawyer about it once you are safe.

Longer-stay places may ask for documents, so check locally.

Do you need to file a complaint?

Not for emergency shelter in most regions. Many admit you on a social-services report. Some places and some aids do ask for proof that you are a victim, such as a protection order or a court or prosecutor report. The documents list below covers this.

Types of shelter

• Centro de emergencia: a short stay right after the crisis, from days up to a month or two.
• Casa de acogida: a longer stay of several months, commonly six months to a year, with social, psychological and legal support for you and your children. Extensions are possible if the social team justifies them.
• Piso tutelado: a supervised flat for the later phase, to build your independence.

What life in a shelter is like

Expect a confidential address and no sharing of the location. The abuser may not visit, and visitors are limited. You share living space and chores, take part in a plan with the social team, and care for your children. Rules differ by region and centre, so ask when you arrive.

Before you leave

Use the safety checklist below to pack what you can. Do not delay leaving if you cannot get everything.

Timeline and deadlines

• Emergency centre stay right after the crisis: from a few days up to a month or two

• Casa de acogida stay with social, psychological and legal support: several months, commonly around six months to a year

• Ask the social team to extend your casa de acogida stay if you still need it: before your stay ends

• Move to a supervised flat to build your independence: after the casa de acogida, for a length that varies

Stay lengths vary by region and centre, so confirm them with 016 or local social services.

Documents you need

• Proof that you are a victim, such as a protection order, a court or prosecutor report, or a social-services report: not needed for most emergency shelter, but some places and aids ask for it.

• Residence papers or empadronamiento (registration at your town hall): not needed for emergency shelter, whatever your immigration status. Social services can help you register afterwards.

Safety checklist for leaving a violent home

• Take ID documents for you and your children: DNI, NIE, passport or residence card.

• Take the family book (libro de familia), the children's birth certificates and the marriage or tenancy papers.

• Take health cards for you and your children, and any medical reports.

• Take any court orders or earlier police reports.

• Take money, bank cards and keys.

• Take your phone and charger.

• Take prescribed medication for you and your children.

• Pack clothes, a favourite toy and school papers for each child.

• Keep or copy evidence such as photos, messages and medical reports.

• Choose a safe place to go and a trusted person to contact before you leave.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to file a police complaint to get a shelter place?

No, a formal complaint is not legally required for emergency shelter in most regions.

What is the difference between an emergency centre and a casa de acogida?

An emergency centre is for the first days or weeks after a crisis, while a casa de acogida is for longer stays of several months. A casa de acogida (safe house) offers social, psychological and legal support for you and your children. Supervised flats come later, to help you live independently.

How long can I stay in a casa de acogida?

Stays in a casa de acogida commonly last around six months, sometimes up to a year. The team can extend your stay if they justify it. Typical rules are a confidential address, no visits from the abuser, shared chores and taking part in a support plan.

Can I take my children with me to a shelter?

Yes, casas de acogida support women and their children together. Rules ask you to care for your children while you stay. Ask the social team about places for your family when you are referred.