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The Portuguese Council for Refugees (CPR) explains that “the central and emerging issue is that the owners of the houses where they currently reside have denounced the lease signed with the CPR”.
In responses to Público, CPR says it is unaware of cases in which people have been forced to leave their homes and mentions its concern about “the impact of the pandemic on the present and future life of refugees resettled in Portugal, not only in terms of training, but also housing, health, transportation and employment opportunities ”, all these aspects having“ a direct influence on the self-sufficiency of refugee families ”.
“In the current context, it becomes even more difficult (…) to be autonomous at the end of the 18 months of the program,” acknowledges the CPR. Thus, the CPR “considers it important that together with the Government, the Social Security Institute, the Employment and Professional Training Institute, the Ministry of Education and civil society entities, alternatives and solutions are found to support resettled refugees” then at the end of the program.
Some people decide to leave Portugal for other countries after finishing the program in which they have received income and expenses paid (electricity, water and gas) and a grant of 150 euros per month per person has ended.
Alexander Kpatue Kweh also tells Público that several families are “living in the same house to be able to share their income and stay in the places where they were welcomed when they arrived in Portugal.”
According to the Dublin Convention, they will not be allowed to apply for asylum in another country, so Alexander Kweh does not know what will happen to the 13 families who left in August, to his knowledge, especially those who have no relatives in those countries. or support networks.
Public advances that there is no record of who leaves once the program is over.
“The host organizations do not have the responsibility (nor the financial capacity) to guarantee the payment of the rent of the houses and related services after 18 months. This responsibility becomes the responsibility of the refugees when there is financial autonomy or through the use of other state support for this purpose ”, explains Joana Rodrigues, coordinator of Social Action of the Portuguese Red Cross (CVP), a host entity, as well as the camera. Municipal de Lisboa (CML), PAR, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and CPR.
The support provided is for Social Security – Social Integration Income and Family Allowance – or Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) if they are situations in the municipality of Lisbon.
Some organizations recognize barriers to integration that only exist because they are refugees. “In the most common difficulties, in addition to the value of the rent, the prejudice is still present, with cases of owners who demand several months of rent in advance or who, knowing that the family is being supported by SCML and has no means of subsistence, they deny leasing ”, underlines the office of the councilman of the Left Bloc for Education and Social Rights, Manuel Grilo.
The fact that the refugees do not have an endorsement also makes the process difficult, admits Joana Rodrigues from CVP. “The owners do not accept.”
On Friday, September 11, the Portuguese government was available to receive the people who were in the Moria refugee camp, after the fire in that compound, on the Greek island of Lesbos.
More than 200 people participated yesterday, September 13, in demonstrations in Porto and Lisbon, demanding the reception of some 13,000 refugees from the Moria camp in the European Union.
