São Paulo – Temporary home Casa de Passagem Terra Nova was inaugurated Thursday (2nd), in São Paulo, to provide assistance to refugees and human trafficking victims. The facility will start receiving people next Monday (6th) and according to the Secretariat of Justice and Citizenship Defence, it is the first of its kind.
The opening was attended by the secretary of Social Development, Rogerio Hamam, and the secretary of Justice and Citizenship Defence, Eloisa de Sousa Arruda, both of whom are state government officials. The Regional Coordination for Human Promotion Works (CROPH, in the Portuguese acronym) will be in charge of managing the place and the Specialized Social Assistance Reference Centres (CREAS), Cáritas, Missão Paz and São Paulo State Secretariat of Justice and Defense of Citizenship will be in charge of screening applicants.
According to Juliana Armede, coordinator of the Human Trafficking Prevention and Combat Centre and of the São Paulo State Secretariat for Justice and Citizenship Defence, the shelter will be used for "prompt welcoming, a place for them to stay at for a while.”
“They need to understand the local reality, find schools for their children and find jobs. Many (of the refugees) are skilled workers,” Armede points out. She also says that finding jobs is a paramount issue for refugees.
In this sense, one of the main barriers, second to language, is obtaining a work permit, which can only be issued to foreigners by the Brazilian federal government. Armede says the state government is working to change regulations so it can issue the permits.
Terra Nova will be open to refugees and human trafficking victims from 8am to 8pm. The facility will offer meals, social services, psychological and legal assistance, sociability and occupational therapy activities, job counselling, language workshops and labour inclusion assistance. Families with children under 18 will have higher priority.
The home boasts 11 bedrooms equipped to host 50 refugees temporarily. The shelter will have an assistance staff comprised of nearly 20 people and someone will always be on duty in case of emergencies. Staff members include fluent speakers of English and French.
According to Armede, before ruling on the creation of similar shelters, the state will evaluate Terra Nova’s operation. However, she expects the home will encourage the creation of other facilities of its kind in Brazil.
“There is a strong demand for social services in the state of São Paulo and we want other states to come see and learn more about [the initiative],” she said.
The government allocated R$ 1.6 million (roughly US$ 643,310) to implementing the shelter, being R$ 707,000 (US$ 284,263) in 2014 and R$ 903,500 (US$ 363,270) in 2015, plus R$ 154,600 (US$ 62,160) for equipment purchases. According to information from the Secretariat of Justice, most refugees arriving in São Paulo are from Haiti, Bolivia and Syria.
Service
Casa de Passagem Terra Nova
Rua Abolição, 145 República
São Paulo – São Paulo
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
