Three new shelters for unaccompanied refugees to open in Athens

In an effort to provide more safe and enabling environments for vulnerable unaccompanied minor refugees in Greece, The HOME Project and Movement On The Ground have partnered to open three new shelters in Athens.

Each of the three shelters will have the capacity to host 16 unaccompanied children, aged from 13 to 18 years old. Subject to the progression of the asylum procedure for each minor resident, successful family reunification and the adult legalisation once a child turns 18, new places in the shelters will become available. It is expected that hundreds of minors will reside in the shelters over a period of three years.

The project is jointly supported by the Dutch and Greek governments as part of a program to strengthen the reception and guardianship capacity for unaccompanied minors in Greece.

The Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security will provide for the next three years financial support for the opening and operation of three shelters.

There are currently 4,500 unaccompanied children in Greece, with many falling outside a system of protection and in urgent need of accommodation.