Duration:June 2019 – February 2021

Description: In close collaboration with national authorities and experienced Partners, through the HELIOS project IOM aims at promoting the integration of beneficiaries of international protection currently residing in temporary accommodation schemes into the Greek society, through the following components:

• Integration Courses: Conduction of Integration Courses within Integration Learning Centres set-up across Greece. Each course cycle lasts for 6 months and consists of modules on Greek language learning, cultural orientation, job readiness and life skills.
• Accommodation support: Supporting beneficiaries towards independent accommodation in apartments rented on their name, including by providing contributions to rental and move-in costs and networking with apartment owners.
• Employability support: Provision of individual employability and job readiness support, including through job counseling, access to job-related certifications and networking with private employers.
• Integration monitoring: Regular assessment of the integration progress of the beneficiaries to ensure that they will be in a position to confidently navigate through Greek public service providers once they will exit from the HELIOS project and start living independently in Greece.
• Sensitization of the host community: Organization of workshops, activities and events and production of a nationwide media campaign to create exchange occasions between the hosting and the hosted communities, highlighting the value of the integration of migrants into the Greek society.

Objective:

The objective of the project is two-folds:

Increasing beneficiaries’ prospects towards self-reliance and supporting them in becoming active members of the Greek society, and;

Establishing an integration mechanism for beneficiaries of international protection, resulting to a rotation mechanism for the current Greek temporary accommodation system.

Target group: The target group of the HELIOS project consists of beneficiaries of international protection recognized after 01/01/2018.

Partners: Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Danish Refugee Council Greece (DRC Greece), Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Solidarity Now, INTERSOS, Municipality Development Agency Thessaloniki S.A (MDAT), Metadrasi, PLOIGOS, KEDHL

Areas of implementation: The project is implemented throughout Greece.

For any question please contact us at iom_helios_info@iom.int or at the following WhatsApp and Telegram numbers from 9am-3pm Monday to Friday; you can also reach the numbers at a different time and leave a message:

WHATSAPP & TELEGRAM NUMBER
+ 30 6909868980 English-French-Greek                                            
+ 30 6906656134 Arabic-Sorani-Kurmanji
+ 30 6906956107 Urdu-Hindi-Panjabi
+ 30 6906656125 Farsi-Pashto