Press Release 26/09/2025

STATISTICS ON RESOURCES FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE. 2024

In 2024 expenditure on centres attending to homeless individuals in the Basque Country rose by 36.1% compared to 2022

The number of people attended to by these centres increased by 24% compared to 2022 and the places occupied by female victims of gender-based violence rose by 17.4%

Expenditure on social services centres for homeless individuals in the Basque Country rose to 103.5 million euros in 2024, 36.1% higher than in 2022, according to Eustat data.

Care for the homeless was provided through a network consisting of 281 centres and services that on a daily basis accommodated an average of 4,230 people aged over 18, 24% more than in 2022. Of these, 830 were in a more extreme housing situation ("roofless") and were accommodated in hostels. Of the total number of people accommodated, 1455 were women (34.4%).

This network of centres was staffed by a total of 2,703 people, the majority salaried employees (73.8%). There were 539 volunteers, 19.9% of the total.

From the network of resources for homeless people an average of 5,242 accommodation places were offered, 929 places more than in 2022, with an occupation level of 80.7%, Of these places, 2,293 were offered from shelters, 548 places more than in 2022 (+ 31.4 %), and 2,913 from flats or dwellings, 369 places more (+14.5 %). There were also 1,964 day places (on average), with an occupancy rate of 91%. Regarding meals, a daily average of 6,561 breakfasts, lunches and dinners were served, 46.7% more than two years before.

The Basque Country provided 13.3% of accommodation places in Spain

Compared with the average in Spain, in the centres of the Basque homeless care network had a higher level of professional staff, with 73.8% being salaried employees compared to 19.9% volunteers; in Spain as a whole these figures are 51.7% and 43.5%, respectively. Furthermore, the Basque network provided 13.3% of accommodation places in the autonomous regions as a whole.

Regarding the use of these resources, a daily average of 4,230 homeless people slept at centres offering accommodation in the Basque Country, 12.5% of the 33,758 homeless people in Spain as a whole.

There tended to be a larger concentration of resources in the capitals

Resources for caring for homeless people were mostly located in the three Basque capitals. 95.5% of accommodation places and 100% of meal provision capacity and day centre places in Álava were located in Vitoria-Gasteiz. 81.9% of accommodation places, 79.1% of meal provision capacity and 75% of day centre places in Bizkaia were in Bilbao. Gipuzkoa was the most decentralised province, with 43.4% of accommodation places, 38.2% of meal provision capacity and 58% of day centre places available in San Sebastián.

Services of particular note in the centres

A variety of services were offered by the Basque network of centres as a whole, focused on improving quality of life for homeless people. Of the total of 281 Basque centres, 72.2% provided "information and shelter", 69% "guidance and referral", 66.2% "assistance", 37% "professional guidance" and different personal services such as personal hygiene (56.2%), laundry (52.7%) and clothing (23.5%). Healthcare, psychological and legal services were provided at 17.8%, 31% and 28.1% of centres, respectively. 45.2% of the centres also provided internet access.

Typology of the people attended to

46.3% of homeless care centres were not focused towards homeless people with specific circumstances. Among those that were (53.7%), of particular note were those dedicated to immigration (38.4%); to female victims of gender-based violence or trafficking (33.1%); and to people with addictions (alcohol and drugs), which represent 21.9%.

Meanwhile, most centres were focused towards both sexes (77.9%), although differences can be observed between provinces: Gipuzkoa had the highest percentage of mixed centres, with 86%, compared to Álava and Bizkaia, with 80.6% and 69.4%, respectively.

In 2024, places occupied by female victims of gender-based violence in the Basque Country rose by 17.4% compared to 2022, reaching 290 places. Female victims of gender-based violence were recorded in this statistic classified in the category of "insecure housing", due to being people living with the threat of violence. They are provided with housing in a location which is unknown to the perpetrator and in many cases they are accommodated with their children.

More than half of the people assisted in the centres in the Basque Country were foreign nationals (64.5%), with provincial differences. Álava was the province with a greater presence (79.4%), followed by Bizkaia (66.1%) and Gipuzkoa (58.4%). In accommodation resources, the percentage of foreign nationals assisted was 66% for the Basque centres as a whole. Their presence increased in hostels (80.7%) and social dining halls (84.5%).

Current expenditure rose to 103.5 million euros

Assistance provided to homeless people via the Basque Country social services network represented current expenditure of 103.5 million euros in 2024, 36.1% higher than in 2022. Most of this expenditure (85.6%) was allocated to centres providing accommodation, amounting to 88.6 million euros, an average annual expenditure of 20,955 euros per person staying there.

Public administrations funded 93.6% of this expenditure. The remaining 6.4% was funded by the organisations’ own resources (4.6%), non-profit institutions (1.5%), donations from individuals (0.3%) and companies (0.1%). In Álava, almost all funding was public (98.1%), in Gipuzkoa it reached 94.4% and in Bizkaia it was 91.1%.

Women accounted for 72% of the total staff working in the network of centres

In 2024, 2,703 people worked in these centres, 13.3% more than in 2022. The number of salaried employees increased by 13.7% compared to 2022, while the number of voluntary staff also grew by 19.2%. Most of the staff in this sector were female (72%) and there was a higher proportion of women among salaried employees (73.9%) than volunteers (63.8%).

On 16 December, 915 "roofless" people slept in hostels

Of the 4,296 people who spent the night of 16 December in centres with accommodation services, 915 were "roofless" people who stayed overnight in the 33 hostels and night shelters set up in the Basque Country and, of these, 92 were women. The remaining 3,381 homeless people were accommodated in the network's centres and flats, and 1,384 were women.

This statistical operation was performed by Eustat in collaboration with the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) in the Basque Country

Methodological note:

For the purposes of this survey, a homeless person is considered to be an individual aged over 18 who does not have access to accommodation during the reference period that meets commonly accepted criteria of human habitability, whether the accommodation is legally owned or rented or occupied without charge (including that provided by the public sector or non-governmental organisations and that provided by employers). Other situations include people with addictions, migrants, individuals with an application for international protection, young people who were formerly in care and female victims of gender-based violence who must abandon their primary residence to ensure their safety.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea/Basque Statistics Institute
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel.: 945 01 75 62