Cáceres has already become a point of arrival for Ukrainian refugee families fleeing the war. Through official channels or privately, at the initiative of relatives or acquaintances, several dozen people -there is no official or exact figure- have settled in the city, where a total of 105 public places are offered. reception.
The organization Accem, based in Cáceres, centralizes all actions to help refugees in the city, since it is in charge of reception within the protocol established by the Ministry of Migration. According to the Junta de Extremadura, this entity manages a total of 50 places in the municipal hostel and 25 in other spaces such as hostels. To these 75 seats must be added the 30 offered by the Diocese of Coria-Cáceres in the Clavellina room.
According to the City Council, for now it has not yet been necessary to resort to the shelter, since the rest of the places offered by Accem have not yet been filled. These days they are carrying out conditioning tasks in this space, which has been closed to the public for two years. It was opened during the pandemic to take in the homeless. Repairs have been made and there is now hot water, the plumbing has been checked and the shower ‘heads’ have been renewed. The fused fluorescents have also been changed and yesterday the revision was made to detect outbreaks of legionella. As recently explained by the Councilor for Social Affairs, María José Pulido, the hostel offers the possibility of both temporary shelter for people who have another point of arrival and for those who need a longer stay.
The Clavellina room has 30 rooms, lounges, kitchen and other facilities for the reception of refugees arriving in Cáceres, facilities that have not yet had to be used, as reported by the Diocese.
Although the Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Cáceres through private initiatives and do not require accommodation managed by Accem, this organization can take care of other matters that concern them. They offer job search programs, psychological care, and legal advice, among others. The Diocese, apart from hosting, also offers accompaniment to these people.
Meeting
Accem and other social entities that work in the city have recently held a meeting to work on reception protocols. Sources from the world of social organizations in the city indicate that there is a majority of refugees who are housed in the private homes of relatives and acquaintances. They are fundamentally women and children, since men between the ages of 18 and 60 have remained fighting in the war. These sources indicate that when it comes to registering, people who arrive can do so directly at the Immigration Brigade or also at the Accem offices. Health care and schooling for minors is guaranteed for all people, regardless of their origin or socioeconomic status.
While the city prepares to welcome Ukrainian refugees, the organizations continue to launch different solidarity actions. Patricia Sierra, a volunteer from Cáceres, from the NGO Sonrisas en Acción, will participate this April in an expedition that will take a truck with “very specific” medicines to a hospital in Ukraine. Firefighters from Barcelona, a member of the Army and three aid workers will participate in this coordinated action.
www.hoy.es
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.