LIVING IN A MIGRANT SHELTER

Hi. How are you? Welcome back to one more day, from the Canary Islands to the world, with a new episode of this podcast about human rights or other curiosities. A pleasure to be here.

I know very well what this kind of centre is. A temporary reception centre for foreigners, because before entering they are immigrants (irony), it is an accommodation resource where migrants spend about 5 months, following phases: reception, integration, and departure. I did my internship in one, and honestly, it is indescribable.

For those who pull their hair out every time they put an assistance resource in a neighbourhood, I remind you that in La Isleta there were 2 shelters for migrants, for people with drug addiction (already closed), a centre for minors, a therapeutic unit for people in a situation of drug addiction, a centre for social incorporation, and an NGO for people in a situation of prostitution. The problem is that if you put everything in one place, people get used to not wanting it close to home, and when it's time to stop, the complaints start. It is essential to take into account the population of the neighbourhood and, perhaps, explain to them on a reception day what the group of migrants is like.

I am going to use my experience to clarify things about the management of a humanitarian camp:

-2001-2010: During these very well-spent 9 years, I volunteered at a temporary reception centre for migrants, Las Palmas Acoge, from Red Acoge, the immigration specialist course, and started sociocultural animation. Enough time to see how it works.

- 2010-2011: 6 months of internship at the Red Cross in Las Palmas. The boys left the shelter to live their lives and even cleaned cars near home. Apparently there was good compliance with the rules.

- 2020 to present: To the well-known NGOs, others have appeared like mushrooms, and there is even, and I am sorry, a certain degradation of the service.

QUESTIONS:

- Why, if they eat 3 times a day, do they look for food in containers?

- Do they have leisure and free time? Many do sports,

- Are they learning Spanish?

- Why are they left outside the hostel if they arrive late? They can penalise them in another way, but not leave them out in the open?

- Are there minors and adults together?

And with this I conclude today episode, see you in the next one!

If you have any comments or suggestions for future episodes, you can write me a comment.

Patricia López Muñoz

Higher Technician in Sociocultural Dynamisation

Specialist Technician in Immigration

Higher Technician in Social Integration