Paris refugee shelter opens

AFP, PARIS: A refugee shelter with beds for 400 single men opened Thursday in northern Paris, part of an ongoing drive to take asylum-seekers off French streets after the demolition of the Calais “Jungle” .
The centre in a disused railway yard near Gare du Nord station will take in 50-80 people a day—the estimated number of migrants that arrive in Paris daily, most of whom end up sleeping rough. They will spend up to 10 days at the site where they will receive medical care and advice on seeking asylum before being transferred to a refugee hostel.
“The idea is to create a place where every newly arrived migrant can be welcomed and offered dignified, humane shelter,” said Bruno Morel, head of the Emmaus Solidarite charity running the centre.
A separate facility for families and women will open in early 2017 in the southeastern suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine.
Unaccompanied minors will be sent to existing children’s shelters around the city.
The opening of the men’s centre comes a week after police cleared a camp in northeast Paris where 3,800 people—mostly Afghans, Sudanese or Eritreans—had been living in tents and mattresses under an overhead metro line.

 

Paris refugee shelter opens

AFP, PARIS: A refugee shelter with beds for 400 single men opened Thursday in northern Paris, part of an ongoing drive to take asylum-seekers off French streets after the demolition of the Calais Jungle . The centre in a disused railway yard near Gare du Nord station will take in 50-80 people a daythe estimated number of migrants that arrive in Paris daily, most of whom end up sleeping rough. They will spend up to 10 days at the site where they will receive medical care and advice on seeking asylum before being transferred to a refugee hostel. The idea is to create a place where every newly arrived migrant can be welcomed and offered dignified, humane shelter, said Bruno Morel, head of the Emmaus Solidarite charity running the centre. A separate facility for families and women will open in early 2017 in the southeastern suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine. Unaccompanied minors will be sent to existing childrens shelters around the city. The opening of the mens centre comes a week after police cleared a camp in northeast Paris where 3,800 peoplemostly Afghans, Sudanese or Eritreanshad been living in tents and mattresses under an overhead metro line.