Who helps whom: the main NGOs and charities in Spain

Terms used

• Acogida — The acogida is the first welcome and assessment interview where an organisation learns your situation and decides how to help.
• Padrón — The padrón is the town hall register of where you live; many local services ask for a certificate of it.
• Comedor social — A comedor social is a free canteen run by a charity or local authority for people who cannot afford food.
• Banco de Alimentos — The Banco de Alimentos is a food bank that supplies charities with food rather than serving individuals directly.

Key rules

• Cost: Core services from the major NGOs are free, and only some courses or housing schemes ask a small contribution.
• Papers: Basic welcome, information and food aid are usually open to anyone in need, with or without papers.
• Asylum: CEAR is for people seeking international protection, not for all migrants.
• Food banks: Ask for food through a charity or a comedor social, not the Banco de Alimentos directly.
• Local rules: Each office and programme sets its own rules, so confirm with the specific office.

The short answer

Core services from the major NGOs are free. That covers reception, legal advice, food aid and orientation. Most of them help you whatever your papers, but some programmes have their own entry rules. The decision block below shows which door to try first. This page shows which organisation fits which need.

Money and basic needs

Cáritas is the first stop for most people short of money. Help goes through parish and diocesan offices. You start with an acogida, a first welcome and assessment interview. After that, Cáritas can offer food aid and vouchers, and help with rent and utilities. It also runs job-search and training programmes, and Spanish classes. You do not need to be Catholic, and your nationality or immigration status does not matter.

Cruz Roja offers food and basic-needs aid, such as food parcels, vouchers and hygiene items. It also gives social orientation, Spanish classes and employment programmes. Services run through local and provincial offices, so what is on offer differs from town to town.

Your town hall's social services can also assess you. Some aid needs their report or a referral.

Food

If you need a meal today, go straight to a comedor social, a free canteen. Many accept people without a referral. Some ask for ID or a voucher from a social worker.

For food parcels or a prepaid food card, go to a local Cáritas parish, a Cruz Roja office or social services. Explain your situation and you will get an assessment. You may be asked for a social report or proof of income, ID and your padrón registration.

Do not go to the Banco de Alimentos yourself. It supplies charities and usually does not serve individuals.

Housing

• Cáritas helps with rent and utilities. It also runs shelters and shared flats and supports people who are homeless.
• Cruz Roja helps homeless people and other vulnerable groups.
• Accem, Cepaim and CEAR help with housing and reception places. Their main focus is asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.

If you need a bed tonight, the decision block below points you to emergency social services.

Migration and asylum

• CEAR is for asylum seekers, refugees, stateless people and others who need international protection. It is not a general service for all migrants. It gives legal advice and representation on asylum applications, and it offers reception places, psychological care, Spanish classes and job support. It has offices in several regions but not in every province, so contact your nearest one.
• Accem works with asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants, and with other vulnerable groups. It offers reception, legal and social advice, Spanish classes and job guidance. It also runs programmes for unaccompanied minors, young people and women.
• Cepaim works on integration. It offers legal and social guidance, job programmes and Spanish classes. It also supports migrant women and victims of trafficking or violence. It is strongest in Madrid, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia and Catalonia.
• Cruz Roja helps people arriving on the coasts. It also runs state-funded asylum reception places, family reunification and tracing of family links.
• Cáritas gives legal and administrative advice to migrants.

Violence and trafficking

For immediate danger, use the emergency number and the 016 helpline shown in the decision block. Cepaim supports women who are victims of trafficking or violence, and Accem runs programmes for women. Médicos del Mundo does outreach to people in prostitution.

Health

Médicos del Mundo serves people without papers. It runs health-access centres and mobile units. It explains your right to health care, helps you register for a health card, and offers medical and psychological care. Mostly it works in large cities.

Access to the public health system is now recognised for people without residence papers too. Regions apply it differently, and each region asks for its own documents for the health card. Other groups that help with barriers to care include Cruz Roja, Cáritas, Médicos Sin Fronteras in specific projects, Fundación Raíces, and local groups such as REDER and Yo Sí Sanidad Universal.

Who is eligible

Basic welcome, information and food aid are usually open to anyone in need. They often need only ID or a passport and a social assessment. Funded programmes can add conditions:

• State reception places are for asylum seekers and refugees.
• Some local aid needs padrón registration or local residence.
• Food aid, rent aid and vouchers can have income limits.
• Employment programmes need legal residence or work authorisation.
• Some programmes target specific groups, such as women, young people, victims of trafficking or unaccompanied minors.
• Social services sometimes have to refer you first.

Ask the office which programme fits you before you travel. The documents list and checklist below show what to bring.

What it costs

Reception, legal advice, social support, food aid and orientation are free. Some language or training courses may charge a small fee. Some housing or reception schemes may ask a small contribution if you have income. Training paid for by the state is usually free. Ask about any charge before you sign up.

Which door to knock on first when you need help

Which door should you knock on first when you need help?

• Emergency number: Someone's life, health or safety is at risk right now. Call 112 for police, ambulance, fire or rescue; it is free and answered in several languages.

• 016 helpline: You are a woman facing violence. 016 is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, it does not appear on the phone bill, and it is open to you whatever your immigration status. Delete the call from your phone's call log. In immediate danger, call 112.

• Emergency social services for a bed tonight: You have nowhere to sleep. Call 112 and they will direct you to your city's emergency social service. Shelters often need ID or a social worker's referral, but emergency places are usually available.

• Social services at your town hall: You need ongoing or financial help, such as rent arrears, utilities, food or a one-off emergency grant. Ask for an appointment at the social services centre for your address, and bring ID, your padrón certificate (proof you are registered at your address) and proof of income.

• An NGO: You want first information or urgent help. Many NGOs let you walk in directly, and the main ones offer core services free. Longer-term food, housing or shelter programmes often need a referral (derivación) from social services. Call the local branch first.

• Your consulate or embassy: You need a replacement passport or travel document, a list of lawyers or interpreters, or help after a serious accident, crime or arrest. It cannot pay bills, give legal advice or grant residence or work permits.

If it is an emergency, call 112 first. If you are a woman facing violence, call 016. Otherwise start with social services or a local NGO, and use your consulate for document or nationality-specific problems.

Documents you need

Documents NGOs may ask for

• Your ID or passport. Most basic help, such as reception, information and food aid, needs only this plus a social assessment.

• Your padrón registration (the certificate that you are registered at a local address). Some local aid and some food aid ask for it.

• A social report or proof of income from social services. Food aid, rent aid and vouchers may ask for it, because some have income limits.

• A referral or voucher from a social worker. Some programmes require it, and some comedores sociales (free meal canteens) ask for it.

• Proof of asylum-seeker or refugee status, for places in the state reception system.

• Proof of legal residence or work authorisation, for employment programmes only.

• The papers your region asks for a health card. Médicos del Mundo serves people without papers and helps you register, but required documents differ by region.

Checklist

Getting help from an NGO

• Pick the organisation that matches your need: Cruz Roja or Cáritas for food and basic needs, Médicos del Mundo for health care access, Cruz Roja for asylum reception and family tracing.

• Ask the office which programme fits you and what its eligibility rules are, such as asylum status, padrón or an income limit.

• Bring your ID or passport, and your padrón and proof of income if you have them.

• Ask whether you need a referral from social services before you can join the programme.

• Ask for the Banco de Alimentos through a charity, not directly.

Quick answers about NGO help in Spain

Can I get NGO help without papers?

Yes, many NGO services are open whatever your status, such as first welcome, food aid, legal information, health-access help and Spanish classes. Some services are restricted: state asylum reception is for asylum seekers, job programmes often need a work permit, and subsidised housing may need residence or padrón. NGOs can also help you explore routes to regularise your situation, such as arraigo.

Can I get NGO help in a language other than Spanish?

Often yes, since major NGOs commonly have multilingual staff, mediators and volunteers, for example in English, French and Arabic. Help in your language is easier to find in large cities and in asylum services. Ask when you book whether an interpreter is available.

Will an NGO report me to the police or immigration?

No, NGOs have no general duty to report people without papers to the police or immigration authorities. Staff work under professional confidentiality, and your information is shared only with your consent or where the law requires it, such as a court order or a risk to life or to a child. If an NGO runs a state-funded reception programme, it reports participation data to the funder, so ask about its data policy.