
Outcomes in Numbers:
SolidarityNow achievements in Providing Accommodation to Asylum Seekers and Relocation Candidates
SolidarityNow is actively involved in addressing the issue of refugees’ and asylum seekers’ accommodation in our country, based on the principles of human dignity and respect, having provided hosting and accommodation to more than 4,400 people of concern -among them more than 2,000 children- from April 2016 to June 2017.
SolidarityNow, believing that no man should live in tents or closed camps, has acted -and continues to act- by developing a multi-level hosting program. The idea of this initiative is to ensure decent living conditions for all and offer alternatives by developing housing models that match, as much as possible, the needs of each individual/family.
In the wider framework of the “Home for Hope” program, the organization has adopted an innovative approach to hosting, providing safe and dignified living through the accommodation options to particularly vulnerable populations during their stay in Greece; these people are hosted either until they are relocated to another European country, or until they are reunited with their family members or until they are officially recognized as refugees. These specific programs by SolidarityNow – which have been developed to date in Attica, Thessaloniki, Sindos, Tilos, Kilkis, Rovies in Evia, Ioannina, Peloponnese and Imathia – have focused on providing direct accommodation, while the beneficiaries of the programs are supported by a series of integrated free services both through the program as well as through the operation of the organization’s Solidarity Centers; some of the provided services are: access to medical care, legal counseling, social and psychological support, educational and recreational activities, etc.
From April 2016 until now, the program has comprised of four (4) types of accommodation structures, which vary according to the individual needs of beneficiaries:
- Independent urban accommodation
Beneficiaries are hosted in independent houses, having the opportunity to start their own household; this type includes also refugees hosted in Greek citizen’s homes.
- Collective shelters & UNHCR leased hotels (**housing in this type of structure has been completed)
The beneficiaries were hosted in hotels with which the organization cooperated; the hotels’ operation was supported by qualified staff and a range of offered services.
- Protection accommodation for vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers
These structures concern providing accommodation to the beneficiaries of the specialised assistance program “Safe Refugee” for the LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers, as well as to vulnerable refugees/asylum seekers such as disabled people, pregnant women, victims of violence, victims of torture, etc.
- Tilos pilot accommodation project
A pilot accommodation structure operates on the island of Tilos for refugees and asylum seekers; through this program, the organization’s specialised personnel implements targeted actions aiming at the beneficiaries’ smooth integration into the local community and their peaceful coexistence with the inhabitants.
“Starting from the hands-on support of the Greeks’ solidarity towards the refugees, supporting those who hosted and shared a home with them, the network of the hosting actions now includes housing in more than 150 apartments“, notes Epaminondas Farmakis, SolidarityNow Managing Director. “We continue to develop our actions aiming to transfer more asylum seekers out of the islands or camps to safe shelters where they can get the necessary support to continue their lives“.
Alongside, and noting that 1 out of 5 beneficiaries of the organization has an additional vulnerability, SolidarityNow has developed dedicated housing and support services for LGBTI refugees and for those who need immediate shelter (pregnant women, victims of violence, victims of torture, etc.).
Beneficiaries’ profile in Numbers
– More than 55.05% of the beneficiaries are refugees, candidates of the relocation program to another European country
– 28.08% are asylum seekers in Greece
– 14.16% are eligible for reunification with family members
– Almost the 21% of the beneficiaries face a form of vulnerability, such as:
- 64% are in serious medical condition
- 17% are single parent families
- 54% are women at risk and,
- 5% has a disability.
SolidarityNow teams have so far provided more than 3,500 psychosocial support sessions, have facilitated access to medical services for 2,394 beneficiaries, and have provided specialized legal advice to around 250 people. It is also notable that to date, children and adult refugees, program’s beneficiaries, have participated in more than 40,000 educational and recreational activities.
SolidarityNow supports the immediate closure of the camps and the populations’ transfer to housing structures in the mainland of Greece. Our goal is to provide immediate relief to people suffering from inhuman living conditions and to promote alternative housing options such as rental apartment and hospitality programs as well as actions to support the smooth integration of refugees in our society.
*The Hosting & Accommodation Programs “Home for Hope” are implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNHCR and funding by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).