ESTIA

The project

ThIn 2015, UNHCR, in cooperation with the Greek Government and with co-funding by the European Union, initiated the implementation of the ESTIA – Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation programme in Greece. Initially this programme served the accommodation purposes of eligible beneficiaries for EU Relocation programme as pre-departure temporary placement. However, due to the ongoing raising numbers of influx in the country it became evident that an accommodation provision through apartments was necessary to offer another housing solution apart from the mass accommodation in camps through containers and thus served as a reception provision for asylum seekers as foreseen by the law.  By mid-July 2020, the management of ESTIA II programme started transitioning from UNHCR to the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and by January 2021 the latter assumed exclusively the management of the project. 

The project envisaged the provision of urban accommodation and cash assistance to vulnerable applicants of international protection in order to facilitate their smooth reception and ensure dignified living conditions in apartments and it has proven to enable a successful “living together” between refugees and local communities across Greece. Cash assistance restores dignity and empowers refugees and asylum-seekers who can choose how to cover their basic daily needs. It also contributes directly to the economy of the host community through the purchase of services and goods.

In total, as of November 2015, almost 75.000 asylum seekers and refugees have benefited from the ESTIA programme with the assistance of Municipalities as well as national and international NGOs. Until the end of March 2021, 24.440 people are hosted by the ESTIA II, among them 4.732 recognized refugees. A 50% of the beneficiaries are children mainly because the eligibility priority is given to vulnerable families with children. These 24.440 persons concern 3.754 apartments and 225 buildings in 15 cities and three islands allover Greece. The vast majority are families, composed on average by five members. More than one in four beneficiaries meet at least one of the vulnerability criteria for their participation in the programme. The three most common vulnerabilities are: serious medical problem, children at risk, single parent family. The vast majority, 85% of people participating in ESTIA II programme, are Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians or Congolese (DRCs). However, the people hosted by the end of March 2021 spoke more than 30 different mother tongues. Accommodation for asylum seekers and recognized refugees is provided in 15 cities in the mainland and in three islands. More than half of the housing units, 59%, are located in Athens, 36% in the rest of mainland Greece, while 5% are located on the islands.

By 2021 the admission of beneficiaries to the programme is being carried out only through the Directorate for the Protection of Asylum Seekers (DPAS) which is the department within the Reception and Identification Service (RIS) of the MoMA that manages the accommodation of asylum seekers in the country and not directly from the implementing partner. Beneficiaries come from either Reception and Identification Centers (RICs) in the islands, Long Term Accommodation Centres such as camps (LTACs) either from the urban web or from Accommodation shelters for Unaccompanied Minor Children after they reach adulthood. The programme targets exclusively adult applicants for international protection and its minor members. Priority is given to those who belong to vulnerable groups, i.e. families with minor children, direct relatives of shipwreck victims (parents and siblings), people with disabilities, elderly, pregnant women, single-parent families with minor children, victims of trafficking, people with serious illnesses, people with mental disabilities and victims of torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence.  Finally, since the programme envisages the autonomous living of the beneficiaries in an apartment, it cannot accept persons who can’t take care of themselves or do not have any caregiver.

The impact of the good practice

Accommodation in apartments improves the daily lives of refugees and asylum seekers in Greece, facilitating their access to services, including education. In this way, the integration of those who will remain in the country is gradually supported. The local community is enriched by coexistence with its new members while the local economy is strengthened by renting apartments.

Staying inside the cities, towns and villages into the host society helps the beneficiaries restore a sense of normality again in their lives and people have better access to services, including education and health. Additionally, given the type of eligibility criteria that are mainly vulnerable cases, often the beneficiaries fulfill the refugee profile and thus become beneficiaries of International Protection and the project serves as a vestibule for their future integration.