In 2023, 54,512 people in Italy were sheltered thanks to the SAI (System for Shelter and Integration) projects, marking an increase of 2.4 percent compared to the previous year.

A total of 76.9 percent of beneficiaries were hosted by the ordinary shelter projects; 21.2 percent of the projects (equal to 11,550 people) in projects for unaccompanied foreign minors; nearly 2 percent (1.039 people) were supported by facilities for people with health and mental health needs.

These are just some of the figures of the 22nd SAI Report, presented on July 2 in Rome at the headquarters of the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI).

Also read: More places for minors in Italy's reception system SAI, ANCI

SAI beneficiaries are mostly young people from Africa and Asia

A total of 90 percent of the persons sheltered by the SAI system in 2023 are under the age of 40: the age brackets are those that go from 18 to 25 (30.3 percent), and from 26 to 40 (31 percent), while the number of minors is 16,209, equal to 29.7 percent of beneficiaries.

The beneficiaries in 2023 come from over 100 different countries, mostly from Africa and Asia.

There has been an increase in the number of people coming from Ukraine, Egypt, Afghanistan, and Tunisia. Additionally, the number of beneficiaries from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Ivory Coast, The Gambia and Somalia remains high.

"The SAI network, after 22 years of activity, has acquired specific characteristics, and it places itself as a model for flexible sheltering, a true role model at an international level," noted the Secretary General of ANCI, Veronica Nicotra.

"Due to its growth, some changes are needed to overcome bureaucratic and organizational bottlenecks," she added.

Also read: UNHCR and ANCI sign agreement to strengthen reception system

Operational by 2025?

"ANCI has made specific proposals aimed firstly at providing temporal continuity to the projects that are about to end their three-year period. We hope to reach an agreement with the Ministry to make these proposals operational by 2025," noted Veronica Nicotra.

The prefect, Laura Lega, who leads the Department of Civil Liberties and Migration at the interior ministry, was present at the presentation of the report.

She commented that the value of the Italian shelter model is "appreciated at the European level because it realizes full cooperation between the institutions that produce concrete shelter projects, and SAI is an essential part of this."

"The figures shared today show the integration methods that are successful thanks to tailored projects made possible by local entities which, together with the third sector, adapt the interventions according to the characteristics of the territories providing them."

Also read: 'A predictable failure': New report examines shelter system in Italy