A total of 872 hosting projects are active within the hosting and integration system, up 9.9 percent compared to the previous two-year period, according to the 23rd annual report dedicated to the SAI network presented on June 17 at the Rome headquarters of the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI).

In more than one case, a single agency manages SAI projects dedicated to different categories, including adults, unaccompanied minors and people with specific vulnerabilities.

During the course of 2024, a reported 55,000 people were hosted and enrolled in an integration project within the SAI network, the data showed.

Some 2,000 municipalities involved

According to the report, 2,000 municipalities are involved in hosting projects, SAI facilities or as partners. The widespread network on the national territory also involves more than 1,000 small municipalities (up to 5,000 residents) and 93 percent of Italian cities with over 100,000 residents.

A reported 55,000 people were hosted in 2024, 17 percent of whom were unaccompanied foreign minors.

The presentation of the report was attended by ANCI President Gaetano Manfredi, Prefect Rosanna Rabuano, the head of the department for civil freedom and immigration, and the official in charge of immigration and integration policies at ANCI, Gianguido D'Alberto.

SAI figures from 2024 were presented by Virginia Costa, who is in charge of the network's central service.

Gaetano Manfredi, the mayor of Naples, said that the "SAI network represents a true infrastructural, professional and social heritage which, in territories ranging from the smallest to the largest municipalities, is placed at the disposal of the entire country.

"A system that must be strengthened, thanks to its widespread ability to respond to hosting and inclusion needs, guaranteeing its continuity, which is sometimes hindered by insufficient resources," Manfredi stated.

Additional 3,000 places to be available soon

The SAI network is also set to include an additional 3,000 places soon. "During the course of 2024, the network's capacity has grown by 16 percent, showing how local authorities are committed to providing responses to the hosting needs of our country", said Teramo Mayor Gianguido D'Alberto.

"I want to thank the 25,000 operators who are working within SAI to aid the people hosted in their path towards integration on the territory by working with local agencies and private social actors," added the official in charge of immigration and integration policies at ANCI.

The head of the department for civil liberties and immigration, Rosanna Rabuano, stressed that she "strongly believes in the commitment of SAI, which represents a virtuous model of management of public resources that not only guarantees the dignity of people but also the security of territories."

The commitment to strengthen the system, "which the interior ministry has taken and will promote, will be carried out as part of the implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum," continued the official.

The passage "will make it necessary to rewrite the national hosting system and will be able to count on both the strengthening of the first hosting system and on the specialization of second hosting," she highlighted.

Speaking about resources, Rabuano stressed that "we are striving to stabilize the network with the next budget laws, also in relation to the EU Pact, and we are thinking about a specific fund for the new hosting system."