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La Voz de Madrid

Madrid's Cold Campaign: Over 1,400 People Assisted, 25% Leave the Streets

The municipal initiative for 2025-2026 provided shelter and social care, noting an increase in women assisted and enhanced support for vulnerable groups.

Generic image of emergency lights reflected on wet asphalt at night.
IA

Generic image of emergency lights reflected on wet asphalt at night.

The Madrid City Council's Cold Campaign, active between November 2025 and March 2026, provided care and shelter to 1,438 homeless individuals, with 25% of users successfully transitioning off the streets.

The municipal initiative, which operated for four months, offered accommodation and social assistance to over 1,400 people. A notable aspect was the increase in the number of women assisted and the reinforcement of resources allocated to young people, the elderly, and other particularly vulnerable groups.
Between November 23, 2025, and March 31, 2026, the Madrid City Council's initiative served 1,438 individuals experiencing homelessness or socio-residential exclusion. The program provided 432 stable daily places, achieving an occupancy rate of 91.4%. A significant statistic, highlighted by the City Council, is that 25% of participants managed to leave the streets after going through the program.
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"78% of those assisted were men, women increased by two percentage points compared to the previous year, and one-third of users were under 30 years old."

José Fernández · Delegate for Social Policies, Family, and Equality
Of the people assisted, 1,117 were men and 321 were women. The City Council has placed special emphasis on the increased presence of women, which rose from 20.4% in the previous campaign (2024-2025) to 22.4% in the current one. According to Fernández, this demographic faces additional vulnerability on the streets and greater exposure to violence. The City Council prioritized comprehensive care and extended stays for delicate cases, including young people under 30, individuals over 65, those with serious pathologies, users with limited autonomy, and women.
The overall occupancy of resources reached 91.4%, recording over 53,700 stays. In addition to the 432 fixed daily places, reinforcements were added during 40 days of extreme temperatures, generating nearly 1,500 additional stays. The shelter network was distributed among the Pinar de San José reception center, with 150 places (including 40 day center places), the Vallecas center, with 142, the Municipal Social Emergency Center, with 20, and 120 simultaneous places in hotel establishments.
The municipal balance indicates that 51% of the users assisted were experiencing homelessness, while the remaining 49% corresponded to individuals in socio-residential exclusion. The City Council also assisted 139 asylum seekers, a figure that Fernández used to call for greater collaboration from the State, arguing that regularization and reception are state competencies.

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