A temporary shelter housing refugees and asylum seekers will be built in Athens following an agreement signed between the Migration & Asylum Ministry, the Municipality of Athens and the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) office in Greece.
The new accommodation space at Eleonas (refugee camp) will house some 500 individuals who have been granted a provisional stay approval.
The agreement, signed by Athens Mayor Kostas Bakogiannis, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi and the IOM's Chief of Mission & Regional Response Coordinator Gianluca Rocco, also foresees renovation projects in some of Athens' neighbourhoods and public squares including Victoria Square, Attikis Square and the broader area of Votanikos in central Athens.
The temporary shelter will be funded by the Ministry of Migration & Asylum, while the construction has been undertaken by the Municipality of Athens, which will undertake its administration together with the IOM.
This initiative is expected to help homeless refugees currently living in public squares.