Greece: On the termination of the #ESTIA_II housing programme for asylum applicants
On the termination of the ESTIA II housing programme for asylum applicants
It’s Christmas time and hundreds of vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees in Greece have counted their last days in their temporary homes and neighbourhoods. The Greek government insisted on closing down the #Emergency_Support_to_Integration_and_Accommodation (ESTIA II) scheme[1] for vulnerable asylum seekers as announced earlier this year,[2]despite the willingness of the European Commission to continue the funding.[3] Civil society organizations,[4] teachers and refugees[5] alike have expressed their concerns about this backward step for protection and integration and call for a continuation of the housing programme.
Hundreds of families of asylum seekers have already been transferred from their flats back to refugee camps or await their transfer thereto within the next days.[6] Furthermore, some thousands of people have been affected by evictions or transfers to camps since the government’s initial announcement of the closure of ESTIA in February 2022, when the programme still accommodated about 12,500 residents.[7]
Beneficiaries of the housing programme report that the employees of the implementing partners of ESTIA II only orally informed them on short notice of their transfer to camps, often without specifying the place of transfer. Suddenly, children had to leave their schools, hobbies and friends, adults their language and vocational classes, persons with (mental) health problems had to interrupt their treatment. Those who had found occasional work moved far away from their small job opportunities.
The government’s decision to terminate ESTIA II can be understood as a part of a broader migration policy aimed at restricting asylum seekers to controlled and secluded camps. It followed the termination of the FILOXENIA accommodation programme in hotels,[8] the phasing out of alternative accommodation to camps on the islands, and the closure of camps near urban areas such as Skaramangas and Eleonas in the Attica region.[9]
Consequently, state support is now available only to asylum seekers residing in camps, hidden behind three-meter concrete walls and barbed wire.[10] Since the introduction of a “HYPERION”, a controversial surveillance system currently under review by the Greek Data Protection Authority,[11] camp gates are controlled by private security guards, cameras have been installed and the residents have to identify themselves in order to enter.[12] Camps previously known as “Open Temporary Reception Facilities” are since 2021 officially titled “Controlled Temporary Accommodation Facilities for Asylum Seekers” (Ελεγχόμενες Δομές Προσωρινής Φιλοξενίας αιτούντων άσυλο).[13] These camps have seemingly become the sole reception form for asylum seekers receiving reception conditions until the completion of their asylum procedure.
Meanwhile, at the end of November, the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) informed their employees that it will be firing 60% of their staff working in the camps under the “Harmonizing Protection Practices in Greece” (HARP) programme[14] until end of 2022, thus drastically decreasing the support offered to the most vulnerable. This has led to protests and strikes of the affected employees. According to the affected employees, the announcement came as a surprise. They fear that the decision to downsize services inside camps does not consider the needs and the best interests of the significant number of residents. They furthermore denounce the lack of any transition plan, including case management and referrals, until services are handed over to the government.[15] As a result, those residing in the camps will be left suddenly with fewer legal, social and psychological services.[16]
In early December 2022, ten civil rights organisations, including Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), wrote to the Ministry of Migration and Asylum to voice their deep concerns about the termination of ESTIA II and the transfer of the vulnerable asylum seekers to the camps. The organisations highlighted severe concerns previously expressed by the Ombudsman and demanded from the state to refrain from closing down ESTIA II.[17]
The Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, stated on December 16th: “We are closing the ESTIA program, because the accommodation facilities are sufficient for the shelter needs.”[18]Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) spokesperson in Greece, Stella Nanou, emphasised in a recent statement that “it is logical that the capacity of accommodation places should be adapted to the population of asylum seekers in the country”, however, “a number of apartments should be maintained within the urban network” as a “necessary type of shelter for extremely vulnerable cases of asylum seeker and their families, so that they can live under safe conditions and with easier access to the necessary services.”[19] The promotion of housing alternatives to camps has been a major UNHCR priority since 2014.[20]
▻https://rsaegean.org/en/termination-of-the-estia-ii-for-asylum-applicants
#asile #migrations #réfugiés #ESTIA #hébergement #fin #Grèce