Types of accommodation

Author

Portuguese Refugee Council Visit Website

Accommodation of spontaneous asylum applicants

As mentioned in Freedom of Movement, asylum applicants are generally referred by frontline service providers to the SOG following admission to the regular procedure, or in case of appeals against negative decisions. At this point, the provision of housing is relayed by either local Social Security services for the duration of the regular procedure or by SCML in the Lisbon area at appeal stage.

According to information provided by ISS, asylum applicants are mostly accommodated in private housing (rented flats/houses and rooms) without prejudice to accommodation provided by relatives in Portugal and placement in collective accommodation facilities such as hotels or non-dedicated reception centres, e.g., emergency shelters, nursing homes, etc. While ISS manages reception facilities where applicants for and beneficiaries of international protection may be accommodated in certain circumstances, none of them has places specifically assigned to such persons.

Applicants supported by SCML are accommodated either in private housing, or in hostels.^[1]A very limited number of asylum applicants are sometimes referred to homeless shelters managed by the organisation on a temporary basis to address specific vulnerabilities.

The provision of special reception conditions for unaccompanied children during the asylum procedure is currently managed by ISS. For more information, see: Special reception needs of vulnerable groups.

As mentioned before, in the end of 2023 the reception system during admissibility (including Dublin) and accelerated procedures on the territory had to adjust to the change in the asylum authority and to CPR being unable to ensure the provision of accommodation to all spontaneous asylum applicants (see Responsibility for Reception) due to the lack of further capacity of infra-structures, and to the lack of funding to that effect. In the past, factors such as the number of referrals for accommodation, occasional delays in the transition into accommodation provided by other stakeholders, as well as the need to preserve family units, frequently determined the need for CPR to resort to external accommodation solutions such as hostels, as well as to instances of overcrowding.

Under the competencies assigned by the Asylum Act to the Ministry in charge of Migration,^[2] AIMA provides accommodation to asylum applicants through its Reception Management Unit. Following a contingency plan until the end of the first half of 2024 where AIMA provided accommodation directly through the youth hostel network (see: The right to reception and sufficient resources), it then expanded the reception capacity in the second semester of 2024 and signed MoUs and contract services with new reception entities in addition to CPR.

According to AIMA, applicants for international protection are mostly accommodated in reception centres, collective accommodation and/or shared rooms, managed by entities that have signed a MoU with the Agency. In 2024, the main host entities were Adolescere, Convento Balsamão, CPR, JRS, Together International, and the youth hostel network. AIMA affirms that the Portuguese Red Cross (CVP) and ISS were also involved in the provision of reception conditions.

AIMA states that it carries out an individual assessment in order to select the location and type of facility to accommodate an applicant, taking into account specific needs, family unit, availability of places, and characteristics of the reception centre.

AIMA did not provide information on the total capacity and occupancy of the asylum reception system in 2024 during admissibility (including Dublin) and accelerated procedures on the territory. AIMA states that 1,300 asylum applicants were provided reception conditions throughout 2024.[3]

In the context of the right of reply of the authorities to the 2024 draft AIDA report, AIMA affirmed that from August 2024 applicants are exclusively accommodated in reception centres, with a total six centres in operation.[4] AIMA did not clarify the type of reception facilities provided by each organisation, nor did it give details on the number of asylum applicants each organisation received. It is not clear if and how many reception centres are specialised and specifically assigned to asylum applicants.

Adults and families with children who receive reception conditions provided by CPR are accommodated at CPR’s Refugee Reception Centres (CAR 1 and CAR 2) or very occasionally in private accommodation provided by CPR (apartments and rooms in the private market or hostels) during admissibility (including Dublin) and accelerated procedures on the territory. CPR’s Refugee Children Reception Centre (CACR) offers unaccompanied children appropriate housing and reception conditions regardless of the stage of the asylum procedure.

Source: CPR.

CAR 1 is an open reception centre located in Bobadela, Municipality of Loures, and operates in the framework of MoUs with the Ministry in charge of Migration and the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security. The official capacity of CAR 1 stands at 60 places but, in practice, the centre can accommodate up to 70 persons. As a complement to CAR 1, CPR manages a private house (CVG) with a capacity for 25 persons.

CAR 2 is an open reception centre located in S. João da Talha, Municipality of Loures. It used to be specifically devoted to the reception of resettled refugees, but it has become part of CPR’s reception response for spontaneous asylum applicants in March 2024. CAR 2 has a maximum capacity of 90 places. By the end of 2024, CAR 2 accommodated a total of 64 persons, including resettled refugees.

In 2024, CPR provided reception assistance to a total of 1,075 asylum applicants,[5] an average of 275 per month, of which 87% were accommodated at CAR 1/CAR 2/CVG, and 13% in alternative private accommodation (including rooms in private apartments and hostels).[6] The average accommodation period with the assistance of CPR in 2024 was 138 days (roughly 4 and a half months).

CPR ensures accommodation until ISS or SCML take over. As such, asylum applicants only leave its facilities when alternative accommodation is secured (see Responsibility for Reception).

CACR is an open specialised reception centre for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children located in Lisbon that has operated since 2012 in the framework of MoUs with the Municipality of Lisbon and the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security. It has an official capacity of 12 places.[7]

Similarly to other reception centres managed by CPR, there were instances in the last few years where CPR informed the authorities of the lack of capacity to provide adequate reception conditions to unaccompanied children. In such cases, unaccompanied children were referred to other reception facilities within the child-care system. In 2024 CPR signed a new MoU with the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security which restructured the way in which cases are referred to CACR. CACR is now a specialised residential unit for emergency situations within the scope of national ISS responses. During 2024, the centre was unable to accept new referrals, except for 3. In total, 28 children were accommodated in 2024.

Apart from spontaneous applicants, during 2024, CPR accommodated 54 refugees resettled under the National Resettlement Programme (nationals of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Eritrea and Sudan and from Türkiye, Egypt and Jordan), 34 Afghan asylum applicants under the humanitarian evacuation programme, 4 asylum applicants under the humanitarian boat rescues in the Mediterranean, and 10 beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine.

Access to adequate housing is identified as a major issue within the national context by asylum applicants, refugees and NGOs.[8] Factors such as high prices, and contractual demands including high deposits, need of guarantors and proof of income hinder the capacity of asylum applicants and refugees to access the market directly, and that of frontline service providers to increase reception capacity. Consequently, asylum applicants and refugees often have to resort to overcrowded or sub-standard housing options when accessing the private housing market.[9]

The 2023 edition of the Statistical Report of OM also highlighted that reception entities are under pressure to respond to the accommodation of all spontaneous asylum applicants due to factors such as the increase number of applications, lack of human and financial resources, and lack of places for reception.[10] There is no available statistical report for 2024.

Housing of relocated unaccompanied children from Greece

Reception of unaccompanied children relocated from Greece is subject to a different practical framework. According to the available information, it includes an initial period of 3 to 6 months during which the psychological, educational, and social support are ensured. Support is then guaranteed through the general network of the ISS, ‘independent living’,[11] or foster families.[12]

According to the information provided by the Secretary of State for Integration and Migration (SEIM) to the Parliament in December 2020, foster families[13] are a solution meant to younger children and have been applied in practice.[14] The SEIM also noted that reception entities involved in the programme receive training, and that a manual is being prepared. Furthermore, weekly visits are performed by ISS (and, in Lisbon, the SCML).[15]

According to ISS, 3 specialised reception centres with a total of 37 places were involved in this programme in 2023. Additionally, there were also places available in supervised autonomy facilities for the reception of unaccompanied children. According to the information provided by ISS, a total of 197 places were available for reception within this context by the end of 2023. According to the information provided by ISS, by the end of 2023, a total of 71 unaccompanied children were included in the programme.

Emergency reception

Decree-Law 26/2021 of 31 March 2021[16] created a National Pool of Urgent and Temporary Accommodation and a National Plan of Urgent and Temporary Accommodation. Recognising the lack of solutions in this regard, the National Plan aims to create structured responses to people in need of emergency or transitional accommodation.[17]

According to the Decree-Law, the National Plan covers persons under the mandate of the entities that form the restricted line-up of the SOG (SEF and ACM – replaced by AIMA – and ISS).[18] Referrals of applicants for/beneficiaries of international protection to accommodation within this context should be made by ISS and AIMA.[19] Such referrals must be communicated to the SOG.[20] Additionally, entities responsible for the reception of applicants and beneficiaries of international protection may access support to promote urgent and temporary accommodation solutions for the National Pool.[21]

Although the period of applications for building/rehabilitating housing under this programme was due to be open until 31 May 2024, according to AIMA the results of the applications are still pending.[22] ISS noted the programme did not apply in 2024. Neither CPR, nor SCML had information regarding access by asylum applicants to this programme.

[1] In 2024, SCML specifically contracted two hostels for this purpose. One of the hostels has capacity for 27 people and is set to accommodate households and women. The second hostel can accommodate 80 people and is exclusively for single men.

[2] Article 61(1) Asylum Act.

[3] This is the same figure provided for the 2024 Homeland Security Annual Report (Relatório Anual de Segurança Interna – RASI) regarding the number of applicants for international protection in situation of economic insufficiency.

[4] Information provided by AIMA on 22 August 2025.

[5] Including applicants for international protection whose applications were made before 2024.

[6] Accommodation by the end of the provision of support or by 31/12/2022. In total, and according to the reception model currently implemented by CPR, a total of 68% of the supported asylum applicants was accommodated in CAR during a period of time.

[7] The original capacity was 13, but it was reduced to 12 in the context of the new MoU with the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security signed in 2024.

[8] In addition to CPR, SCML and JRS also expressed this concern when providing information for the AIDA report.

[9] It should be noted that while these issues are not only specific to applicants and beneficiaries of international protection, factors such as the absence of support networks increase their impact in asylum seeking and refugee families.

[10] Observatório das Migrações (OM), Requerentes e Beneficiários de Proteção Internacional – Relatório Estatístico do Asilo 2023, p.153, July 2023. While the reports produced by the OM were previously available online, at the time of writing it was not possible to access them online, neither in the website of ACM, which was still online, nor in the website of AIMA.

[11] Unofficial translation (“autonomia de vida”).

[12] See, for instance: State Party report on Follow-up to Concluding Observations [Human Rights Committee], CCPR/PRT/FCO/5, 27 July 2021, pp.11-13 available here.

[13] The legal framework for foster families is established by Decree-Law 164/2019 of 25 October 2019, available here.

[14] Reception through foster families has not been used in the case of asylum seeking/refugee children in other occasions/contexts.

[15] Video recording of the parliamentary hearing of the Ministry of the Presidency and the Secretary of State for Integration and Migration (21 December 2020) available here.

[16] Available here. The functioning of the National Pool of Urgent and Temporary Accommodation is governed by Ministerial Order 120/2021, 8 June, available here.

[17] Article 11 Ministerial Order 120/2021, 8 June defines the maximum periods of emergency/transition accommodation – 15 days or 6 months, respectively, that may be renewed for an equal period. A specific regime applies to victims of domestic violence.

[18] Article 5(1)(b)(iii) Decree-Law 26/2021 of 31 March.

[19] Article 12(1) and (2) Ministerial Order 120/2021, 8 June.

[20] Article 12(3) Ministerial Order 120/2021, 8 June.

[21] Article 12 Decree-Law 26/2021 of 31 March; article 26(c) Decree-Law 37/2018 of 4 June; article 7(c) Ministerial Order 120/2021, 8 June.

[22] Information provided by AIMA in July 2025.