Almost all the refugees were resettled in single-family dwellings, where they could live independently, as families or individuals.
There were four major types of geographical position in the program: large cities with millions of inhabitants; mid-size cities, which were often the capitals of their provinces; “small” towns with fewer than 15,000 inhabitants, endowed with public transportation to larger residential centers and where the refugees were housed in places within the urban context; and, finally, very small towns and villages, without public transportation or far from larger residential centers, and with spread-out housing.
In many cases, the study found a correlation between refugees who finished the program, or ended it in agreement with Caritas, and placement in mid-size cities or small towns that were well-connected to larger urban centers. Most of the 37 people who had attained independence by 2022 and those who left the program in an agreed-upon way had been placed in the second or third kind of geographic setting.
By focusing on this correlation, the study found that the refugees considered these urban contexts to be appropriate for growing their social networks, as well as for finding work they could reach with public transportation.
The refugees who were resettled in isolated villages or very small towns, on the contrary, complained about the isolation, in comparison with urban contexts, the lack of neighbors, and their inability to reach communities of people from their countries of origin. Moreover, their isolation prevented them from connecting with job opportunities and made it difficult for children to attend school and adults to take Italian language courses. These difficulties led to some cases of depression, particularly for single women with children.
The criticism led to some friction with local Caritas branches and sometimes even Caritas Italiana. It is important to highlight here that Caritas Italiana puts refugees and host communities in touch prior to the refugees’ departure from Ethiopia, using videocalls and social media. Thus, the beneficiaries were made aware in advance of the local context where they would be living.
These outcomes suggest that it is extremely important to consider the deep needs of each individual person, not only in terms of finding living space and available housing, but also in terms of finding a context where they can thrive from a human perspective. Receiving someone is much more than simply housing them.
