Project Promoter: METAdrasi – Action for Migration and Development
Outcome: Improved quality of accommodation and other services provided in open reception centers
Project grant rate: 90%
Maximum project grant amount: € 2.080.665,75
Duration: June 2020 – July 2023
METAdrasi’s Transit Accommodation Facilities provide unaccompanied minors with a safe, age-appropriate environment, ensuring their protection while legal procedures are completed. The primary objective is to minimize -and ideally eliminate- the time minors spend in detention centers by facilitating their safe transfer to long-term accommodation. This also serves as a critical safeguard against exploitation by smuggling and trafficking networks.
A specialized interdisciplinary team -including psychologists, social workers, special educators, and nurses- alongside METAdrasi’s interpreters, provided comprehensive care, covering daily needs, psychological and social support, healthcare, and legal assistance. The facilities also offered structured activities to foster psychosocial development, skill-building, and social integration through cultural, recreational, and educational events.
During the project’s implementation, the transit facilities in Chios and Samos accommodated 114 asylum-seeking minors, primarily aged 16–18, from Sub-Saharan Africa, Syria, and Afghanistan. Additionally, 85 vulnerable individuals, classified as unaccompanied minors, received services, including both undocumented and recognized refugees.
METAdrasi actively promoted integration through school attendance, participation in local cultural events, and intercultural activities, helping to build trust and reduce tensions with host communities. The “Stepping stones” initiative further supported beneficiaries by facilitating employment, with some former residents joining METAdrasi as interpreters or staff, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to sustainability and capacity building.
Despite challenges such as medical screening delays and systemic bottlenecks, the project successfully met EU standards for unaccompanied minor accommodation, providing essential psychosocial and educational support. Its long-term impact is reflected in the adoption of its best practices by state mechanisms and its influence on national funding frameworks, demonstrating its effectiveness in fostering integration and shaping sustainable policies for vulnerable youth.
METAdrasi transitioned the project to government funding through the Ministry of Immigration & Asylum, co-financed by the EU Migration and Home Affairs Funds (2021–2027).
