Types of accommodation

Author

ASGI Visit Website

At the end of 2023, the number of asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection in the reception system was 139,388, which represents a significant increase compared to 2022, when it was 107,677 and to 2021, when 78,644 migrants were present. Out of the total number, at the end of 2023, 103,334 were in first reception facilities (CAS and first governmental centres) and 34,816 in SAI.[1]

The numbers show that, at the end of 2023, 7 out of 10 asylum seekers were still accommodated in extraordinary centres.

Source: Ministry of Interior, Cruscotto statistico giornaliero.

As reported by the Ministry of Interior, as of 31 December 2021, the total number of accommodation facilities was 4,225 divided as follows: 4,216 CAS facilities (down from 4,583 in 2020) and 9 first reception centres.[2] Data regarding 2022 and 2023 are not available.

First aid and identification: CPSA / Hotspots

The Reception Decree states that for ‘rescue, first aid and identification needs’, people can be placed in the so called crisis points set up in the principal places of disembarkation and in governmental centres.[3] These are First Aid and Reception Centres (CPSA),[4] created in 2006 for the purposes of first aid and identification before persons are transferred to other centres, and now formally operating as Hotspots.[5] According to the SOPs, persons should stay in these centres “for the shortest possible time”, but in practice they are accommodated for days or weeks.

By the end of 2023, four hotspots were operating in: Apulia (Taranto) and Sicily (Lampedusa, Pozzallo, and Messina). An additional centre is operating in Pantelleria; its use as a hotspot has been recently confirmed by the Ministry of Interior responding to a FOIA access made by Asgi.[6] The hotspot on the island of Pantelleria was opened at the beginning of August 2022[7] and mainly directed at managing arrivals from Tunisia, A total of 1,238 persons, out of which 1,119 in Sicily and 119 in Apulia, were accommodated in hotspots at the end of the year 2023.[8]

In 2022, in the first reception centre of Crotone, a space had been set up to carry out activities of first identification, fingerprinting and registration of the will to apply for international protection, as well as the formalisation of pushback or expulsion orders. This was abundant and compelling evidence that hotspot operational procedures were de facto implemented there, although the facility was not formally identified as such.[9]

In 2023, ASGI, through the In Limine project, undertook monitoring of the Roccella Jonica structure (in the Calabria region), which is responsible for the first reception of migrants arriving on that territory and for the related procedures. Several requests for generalised civic access were submitted to the Prefecture of Reggio Calabria, from which it emerged, first of all, that a new hotspot was about to be realised in Roccella Jonica and that the necessary preparatory activities were in progress.[10]

Decree-Law 20/2023 provided that, up to 31 December 2025, the Lampedusa hotspot could be managed by the Italian Red Cross, in derogation from the rules on tendering procedures.[11] This provision became necessary following the continuous mismanagement issues registered in the facility (See paragraph Conditions in hotspots), in order to ensure the functionality of a structure considered fundamental for the Italian system. The same Decree also provided for the possibility for the Government to activate new hotspot facilities throughout the national territory, with the same functions of identification, selection and administrative detention, again in derogation from the rules relating to tender procedures.[12] The identification of suitable locations to host new hotspots and their activation has been entrusted to the Extraordinary Commissioner appointed by the Government as part of the declaration of the state of emergency.[13]

In May 2024, the Ministry of the Interior, responding to a Foia request made by Asgi, informed that the hotspots identified and available to be used for the border procedures are the facilities in:

• Augusta (Siracusa, Sicily), with a capacity of 250 places;
• Catania ( Sicily), with a capacity of 650 places;
• Isola di Capo Rizzuto (Crotone, Calabria), within the existing reception centre, with a capacity of 80 seats;
• Lampedusa (Agrigento, Sicily)), with a capacity of 640 seats;
• Messina (Sicily) with a capacity of 200 seats;
• Porto Empedocle (Agrigento, Sicily), with a capacity of 280 seats;
• Pozzallo-Modica (Ragusa, Sicily), with a capacity of 489 seats
• Roccella Jonica (Calabria), with a capacity of 250 seats
• Taranto ( Apulia) with a capacity of 293 seats
• Vibo Valentia (Calabria), with a capacity of 280 seats[14]

The opening a new hotspot in Friuli Venezia-Giulia, probably in Trieste, to manage the identification and detention of migrants reaching Italy through the Balkan Route, was communicated in 2023.[15] However, no further information are available, and it is likely this plan will not move forward.

Governmental first reception centres

The Reception Decree provides that the governmental first reception centres are managed by public local entities, consortia of municipalities and other public or private bodies, specialised in the assistance of asylum applicants, selected through public tender.[16]

At the time of writing, 9 first reception centres are established in the following regions in Italy:

Source: MoI, available at: https://bit.ly/3y7vo52.

The Hub centre located in Bologna, Mattei, is now classified as CAS. Other governmental centres working as first accommodation facilities but not classified as first governmental centres by MoI are the one of Fernetti, in Trieste, called Casa Malala, and the one in Pordenone, Caserma Monti, both in Friuli Venezia Giulia.[18]

Temporary facilities: CAS

In case of temporary unavailability of places in the first reception centres, the Reception Decree provides the use of Emergency Reception Centres (centri di accoglienza straordinaria, CAS). The CAS system, originally designed as a temporary measure to prepare for transfer to second-line reception, expanded in recent years to the point of being entrenched in the ordinary system. The Reception Decree adopted in August 2015 missed the opportunity to actually change the system and simply renamed these centres from “emergency centres” to “temporary facilities” (strutture temporanee).

The CAS are identified and activated by the Prefectures, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior. Following Decree Law 113/2018, CAS facilities can be activated only after obtaining the opinion of the local authority on whose territory the structures will be set up.[19] In any case, the law does not condition activation on obtaining a favourable opinion. Instead, it only establishes an opinion should be requested.

Activation is reserved for emergency cases of substantial arrivals, but applies in practice to all situations in which, as it is currently the case, capacity in ordinary centres is not sufficient to meet the reception demand.

The term CAS is a formal classification related to the temporary function of the reception facility, but does not in itself define its nature. The forms that CAS facility can take are in fact extremely varied, going from small apartments that managing bodies rent from private citizens to collective centres obtained within entire buildings, from camps organised with containers and tents to former army barracks. The tender specifications scheme, in fact, provides for the possibility of setting up CAS in “single housing units”, in collective centres with less than 50 places, centres with a capacity between 50 and 300 places, or collective centres with more than 300 places.[20]

Following the reform of the accommodation system made by Decree Law 20/2023, the CAS are specifically designed for the first accommodation phase and no longer conceived as temporary solutions for the time “strictly necessary” until the transfer of asylum seekers to the SAI system.[21] The services guaranteed are the same as in the first reception centres (see Forms and Levels of Material Reception Conditions).[22]

By the end of 2022 there were over 5,474 CAS established across Italy[23] and, in October 2023, the Minister of Interior informed the Parliament about the existence of 6,114 CAS facilities.[24] As underlined (see Forms and Levels of Material Reception Conditions), following the 2018 MoI tender specification schemes most of the small CAS facilities were forced to close, leaving the accommodation scene to large centres managed by profit organisations or big social cooperatives.

The fact that the majority of available places are currently in CAS illustrates a reception policy based on leaving asylum seekers in emergency accommodation during the entire asylum procedure.

Provisional centres

Law 50/2023 provided that, pending the identification of available places in governmental centres or in CAS, reception for asylum seekers may be arranged by Prefect, for the time strictly necessary, in provisional structures where just food, lodging, clothing, health care and linguistic-cultural mediation are the services ensured.[25]

Second reception – SAI system

The SAI system (Reception and Integration System, Sistema di Accoglienza e Integrazione, formerly known as SPRAR and then SIPROIMI) is dedicated mainly to beneficiaries of international protection and unaccompanied minors.[26]

SAI projects can also accommodate: victims of trafficking; domestic violence and serious exploitation; persons issued a residence permit for medical treatment, or natural calamity in the country of origin, or for acts of particular civic value,[27] holders of special protection, holders of a permit for special cases (former humanitarian protection),[28] and former unaccompanied minors, who obtained a prosecution of assistance.[29] Holders of special protection, when in case of application of the international protection exclusion clauses, are instead excluded.

Law 50/2023, which converted Decree Law 20/2023, once again (as in 2018) excluded asylum seekers from the possibility to access the SAI system. Access to the SAI is now only possible for asylum seekers identified as vulnerable and to those who have legally entered Italy through complementary pathways (Government-led resettlements or private sponsored humanitarian admission programs).

Women are now also included among vulnerable asylum seekers, with priority given to the pregnant women.[30]

The activation of SAI reception projects depends on funding provided directly by the Ministry of the Interior (and not by the Prefectures, as for CAS and first reception centres) to the local authority. The latter must voluntarily apply to host a reception project in its territory and submit a detailed project to the Ministry, asking for funding. The application is evaluated by a commission and, if deemed appropriate, the local project is financed for a period usually equal to 3 years. At the end of the period financed, the Municipality holder of the project can ask the Ministry for a new three-year funding.[31]

SAI projects, even if more stable than CAS as they are based on multi annual funding that promotes the quality of interventions, are by nature “more fragile”, because adherence to the SAI system and the maintenance of such projects are entirely dependent on the will of local administrations.[32] As mentioned, the decision by the Governments to maintain these projects in existence solely based on a voluntary adhesion by municipalities constitutes an important limitation to their widespread distribution on the national territory, which does not go in the direction of greater availability of places in this system and does not facilitate immediate access to the system, even for the limited number of asylum seekers who would be entitled to it.

On 28 November 2023, the SAI network comprised 914 projects, for a total of 37,920 places financed, of which 31,155 places for ordinary beneficiaries, 6,006 places for unaccompanied minors and 759 places for people living with mental health conditions or physical disability. As previously mentioned, the opening of a SAI project depends on the sole will of the local administration responsible (mostly municipalities), so there is no proportional distribution in Italy: this means that the presence of SAI projects on the territory is uneven and often concentrated in Southern Italy.[33]

While the SAI system has been slowly but constantly expanded throughout the country in the 20 years since it was set up,[34] the total amount of available places is still largely inadequate to meet the existing needs. Furthermore, historically, the number of SAI seats funded by the Government and the number of SAI seats active and available differ by several thousands. This has been happening because of bureaucratic delays as well as organisational and logistical issues.

As evidenced by the extensive work of Actionaid,[35] at the date of 31 December 2021, the SAI system had more than 10 thousand funded but unavailable places. A more recent reportage from the magazine Altreconomia[36] showed that, in October 2022, against over 44,000 funded places within the SAI system, only 35,000 of them were available and even fewer, 33,000, were actually used.

As of November 2023, out of the total places financed, 2,906 were not occupied.[37]

As a further confirmation of the fact that national authorities are not investing strongly enough on the enlargement of the SAI system, 2021 and 2022 saw a further slowdown in the growth of the number of places financed. In fact, the authorities decided to expand only projects for unaccompanied foreign minors or vulnerable applicants,[38] and to finance additional places (therefore the extension of existing projects and not the activation of new projects) reserved for refugees from Afghanistan and (by an early 2022 legislative amendment) from Ukraine.[39] It can be argued however, that this was done in the attempt to respond to the large number of new arrivals from said countries, on the basis of an emergency response, and not to ensure a stable and necessary expansion of the SAI.

Private accommodation with families and churches

In addition to the abovementioned reception centres, there is also a network of private accommodation facilities which are not part of the national public reception system, provided for example by Catholic or voluntary associations, which support several asylum seekers and refugees.

It is very difficult to ascertain the number of available places in these forms of reception. The function of these structures is relevant especially in emergency cases or as integration pathways, following or in lieu of accommodation in S.A.I.

Other projects financed by municipalities or AMIF funds and directed at accommodating families and unaccompanied minors started.

In Bologna, for example, the VESTA project, conceived and developed by the Camelot Social Cooperative – is operational. The project, designed mainly for beneficiaries of international and special protection who reach the age of majority, provides a contribution towards the costs to the host family.[40]

The OHANA project, financed by AMIF fund, is developing accommodation for families of unaccompanied minors in the cities of Turin, Milan, Pavia, Venice, Verona Padova, Pordenone, Rome, Bari, Catania and Palermo.[41]

The NGO Refugees Welcome Italia promotes numerous initiatives of “welcome in the family” for protection holders who have had to abandon the public reception system, in particular to those who have not found a place in the SAI or have had to leave before the actual conclusion of their path of social inclusion. Refugees Welcome has developed over the years a significant network on the Italian territory, putting itself in relation both with the authorities of the reception centres and with numerous municipal administrations.[42]

[1] Source: MoI Cruscotto statistico giornaliero, available at: rb.gy/tz3tpz.

[2] The 2020 and 2021 Governmental reports can be accessed at: https://bit.ly/3y8bRCN.

[3] Article 8(2)  Reception Decree as amended by DL 20/2023 converted into L. 50/2023, and Article 10 ter TUI.

[4] L 563/1995.

[5] Article 10-ter TUI, inserted by Article 17 Decree Law 13/2017 and L 46/2017.

[6] See ASGI, In Limine, reply from MOI of 15 April 2024, available in Italian at: https://rebrand.ly/8n9otas.

[7] See MoI, Migranti, a Pantelleria il nuovo Punto-Crisi, available at: https://bit.ly/4053sw2.

[8] MOI, Cruscotto Statistico Giornaliero, Ministry of Interior, Cruscotto statistico giornaliero, 31 December 2023 available in Italian at: bit.ly/48VIQtT.

[9] See ASGI, Il centro di accoglienza di Crotone: dati generali, i minori e le procedure di redistribuzione, available at: https://bit.ly/3LQf7sE.

[10] Source: ASGI, Roccella Ionica: situazione attuale e implementazione “approccio hotspot”, 21 February 2023, available in Italian at: https://bit.ly/43u1Fmv.

[11] Article 5-bis (2) Decree Law 20/2023 converted with modifications into Law 50/2023.

[12] Article 5-bis (3) Decree Law 20/2023 converted with modifications into Law 50/2023.

[13] Article 2 (1a) Decree of the Chief of the Department of Civil Protection 984/2023.

[14] ASGI, Quali hotspots sono operativi? Reply from the MOI, May 2024, available in Italian at: https://rebrand.ly/t2hd9cf.

[15] See RAI, Hotspot sulla Rotta balcanica. L’ex prefetto di Trieste Valenti pianifica struttura sul territorio, 15 January 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/43bUv5a.

[16] Article 9(2) Reception Decree.

[17] Source: Openpolis, Centri d’Italia.

[18] See MoI, available at: https://bit.ly/3y4dbFm.

[19] Article 11 (2) Reception Decree, as amended by Article 12 Decree Law 113/2018 and L 132/2018. Prior to the reform, the law provided that the local authorities should only be notified and issue a non-binding opinion.

[20] See new Tender Specification Schemes, Ministerial Decree 4 March 2024. Schemes and Decree available at: bit.ly/3JU5KaZ.

[21] Article 11 (3) Reception Decree, as amended by Decree Law 20/2023.

[22] Articles 10 (1) and 1 1(2) Reception Decree.

[23] Source: Openpolis, Centri d’Italia

[24] Hearing in Parliament of the Minister of Interior, 17 October 2023, available in Italian at: https://encr.pw/qhEfu.

[25] Article 11 (2 bis) Reception Decree introduced by L 50/2023.

[26] According to Article 1-sexies DL 416/1989, as amended by DL 130/2020, local authorities responsible for the SAI projects “can” host in such projects also asylum seekers and beneficiaries of special protection or other protection titles.

[27] Article 1 sexies (1) DL 416/1989, as amended by DL 130/2020, citing Articles 18, 18-bis, 19(2)(d-bis), 20, 22(12-quater) and 42-bis TUI. The statuses in Articles 20 and 42-bis had been inserted by Decree Law 113/2018.

[28] Ibid, mentioning Articles 1 (9) DL 113/2018 (special cases); Article 19, (1, 1.1) TUI, amended by DL 130/2020.

[29] Article 1 sexies (1 bis) DL 416/1989, introduced by DL 130/2020. In some CAS, according to the law unaccompanied minors becoming adults can benefit from further assistance (accommodation and help) up to 21 years. It is called “prosieguo amministrativo”, administrative continuation.

[30] Article 17 (1) LD 142/2015.

[31] The funding application and assessment mechanism for the project is governed by the Ministerial Decree 18 November 2019.

[32] For a recent analysis of the impact of political preferences on the political willingness to open reception facilities, see the significant contribution from Gamalerio and Negri, Not welcome anymore: the effect of electoral incentives on the reception of refugees, in Journal of Economic Geography, available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbad002.

[33] See I numeri del SAI, November 2023, at:  https://acesse.dev/IWeH3.

[34] See Rapporto Annuale SAI 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3Z9qQbt.

[35] ActionAid, Centri d’Italia, Mappe dell’accoglienza. Report 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3SQiQKd.

[36] Altreconomia, Scarsa programmazione, posti vuoti e persone al freddo: così ai migranti è negata l’accoglienza, available at: https://bit.ly/3ZMLD4D.

[37] See I numeri del SAI, November February 28th 2023, at: https://www.retesai.it/i-numeri-dello-sprar/;  https://acesse.dev/IWeH3.

[38] Ministerial Decree no. 19125 of July 1st 2021 funded 51 UFM projects, for a total of 855 new places, via the AMIF Fund. Ministerial Decree no. 23420 of August 10th 2021 funded 44 UFM projects, for a total of 662 new places, via the AMIF Fund. Ministerial Decree no. 23428 of August 10th 2021 funded the enlargement of 37 UFM already existing projects, for a total of 797 new places, and the enlargement of 14 already existing projects for physical/mental vulnerabilities, for a total of 174 new places. Ministerial Decree no. 35936 of November 17th 2021 funded the enlargement of 1 UFM already existing project, for a total of 20 new places, and the enlargement of 1 already existing project for physical/mental vulnerabilities, for a total of 5 new places.

[39] Ministerial Decree no. 40783 of December 21st 2021 funded the enlargement of 113 already existing projects, for a total of 2,277 new places intended primarily for the reception of Afghan families. Ministerial Decree no. 1415 of 19 January 2022 funded the enlargement of 45 already existing projects, for a total of 723 new places intended primarily for the reception of Afghan families. Ministerial Decree no. 8910 of 17 March 2022 funded the enlargement of 39 already existing projects, for a total of 470 new places intended primarily for the reception of Afghan families. Ministerial Decree no. 18215 of June 9th 2022 funded the enlargement of 135 already existing projects, for a total of 3,530 new places intended primarily for the reception of Afghan and Ukrainian families. Ministerial Decree no. 30147 of 23 August 2022 funded the enlargement of 105 already existing projects, for a total of 2,325 new places intended primarily for the reception of Afghan and Ukrainian families.

[40] Bologna, Camelot presenta Vesta, per ospitare rifugiati in famiglia, available at: https://bit.ly/3y9ALDf.

[41] Ohana project, see: https://bit.ly/3jD0v28.

[42] Source Refugees Welcome Italia, Cosa facciamo, available at: https://bit.ly/42pAXdA.