Lipomo (CO)

In the article from late April 20203 in “Comozero”, the first citizen of Lipomo explains that as a result of the increase in arrivals and changes in regulations, the reception system is unable to guarantee accommodation in the early stages of arrival in the territory. For this reason, this facility was opened to serve as a hub.

The Prefecture in cooperation with the Red Cross identified the space and arranged for it to be equipped with: “beds, refreshment space, toilets, medical clinic with daily presence of medical and nursing staff, as well as cultural and language mediators” (source: “Comozero” 20.04.2023).

From the date of its opening on April 8, 2023 to September 2023, the hub saw 720 people pass through (source: “La Provincia” 09/26/2023).

The center was built with small houses provided by UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and assembled inside the warehouse, each of which houses four cots: basic, neat, and suitable for accommodating people on a rotating basis. For those who pass through, it is a temporary placement, four or five days at most, while waiting to be assigned to the CAS, the extraordinary reception centers, where each migrant can begin a more stable path, which starts with an asylum application. Visits from outsiders are not allowed, but guests are allowed in and out.

Sources