Malaga province will be part of a pilot scheme to house Ukrainian refugees with local families
Those eligible to host will have to commit for six months, which can be extended to one year
Malaga is one of the provinces selected for a pilot refugee hosting programme which will begin next week, to connect families who are interested in accommodating Ukrainian families with those seeking refuge in this area.
Families in the province who are interested in hosting refugees will be registered with the scheme and they have to sign up for six months, which can be extended to a year. Then, a shortlist will be drawn up of those considered suitable, and they will be put in touch with Ukrainian families. The programme will include a monitoring and assistance service for the refugees.
A call centre is being set up as part of this programme, to determine whether those who initially apply to host refugees are suitable. This call centre will be manned by social workers, through an agreement between the government and La Caixa foundation.
It has now also been decided that the refugee assistance centre which the government wants to open in the province will be in Malaga city itself. This will be the fourth in Spain; the other three are already open, in Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante. The Junta de Andalucía has offered the government the use of a council-owned 750 square metre building in Calle Cuarteles for this purpose.
The centre will have three main functions: it will be a reception centre in the first instance, arranging accommodation for the refugees; it will help them to apply for Spain’s special protection scheme; and it will assist them to move to the place which will be most suitable for them, depending on their personal situation, anywhere in the country, whether they are accommodated by the State system, a regional government or with local families.
