The city of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region is facing a new emergency as 20 homeless asylum seekers are in need of assistance after some 80 foreign nationals were transferred to Calabria and Basilicata, in southern Italy.
The number of homeless foreign nationals in transit in L'Aquila as they wait for their asylum request to be processed has once again risen in L'Aquila with 20 people reportedly without housing. The group of asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Pakistan has progressively grown over the past few days following the emergency relocation of some 80 people in recent weeks.
In particular, 44 were taken to Calabria while the others were moved to Basilicata as part of a decision taken by the prefecture in agreement with police forces.
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Homeless asylum seekers in search of shelter
The asylum seekers reportedly eat three times a day at a canteen run by Fraterna Tau, a volunteer group supporting vulnerable people.
However, they have no place to stay at night. Some are sleeping rough in the local Piazza d'Armi or in parts of the city centre as they await accommodation in a reception centre for asylum seekers (CAS).
Nobody is aware of the opportunities provided by the flow decree's so-called 'click days', or online applications under the country's quota system, thanks to which employers can file online requests to hire foreign workers.
Amir's story
The asylum seekers currently based in L'Aquila include 27-year-old Amir (the name has been changed to protect his identity), a Pakistani political science student who was forced to leave his country due to rising domestic tensions.
He is scheduled to formalize his asylum application on December 30 at the local central police station. ER doctors at the local San Salvatore Hospital have diagnosed him with a number of conditions, with homelessness further exposing him to adverse health outcomes, the young man said.
"When I said that I was in poor health and couldn't sleep outdoors, I was told in English 'this is not our problem'," Amir noted, speaking in front of the canteen.
"They come here to eat, they find blankets, shoes and the possibility of taking a shower", explained Paolo Giorgi, who runs Fraterna Tau. "However, at night, they remain outdoors and it's getting increasingly cold; temperatures have gone below zero. If we had a room where they could sleep, we would run it for free in order to avoid all this," he added.
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