From the time of the first Humanitarian Corridor, in November 2017, the duration of the projects was set for one year. Caritas Italiana later added another six months of financial support. In most cases, however, even this extension did not allow people to reach real financial independence.
Most dioceses had set aside some of their own funds in addition to those of Caritas, but sometimes these funds were only able to provide financial support for short periods.
In other cases, though, diocesan Caritas branches had put aside money enough to provide a family’s annual income for a year or more, even five years, in two cases. These branches provided higher levels of serenity for their beneficiaries, as well as the chance for Caritas social workers and host communities to plan educational and professional training over the mid to long term. As one bishop explained:
If you don’t have some years – five years – to give […then] it means, first of all, that your response is still something of an emergency response […] and, second, that you’re not fully engaged.
Serious problems came up in the small number of diocesan branches that did not budget for any financial assistance in addition to what was provided by Caritas Italiana.
For refugees, this economic uncertainty caused a great deal of worry and fear of another potential abandonment. This led many to look for work opportunities on their own, undermining the trust of Caritas social workers and volunteers. In one case, for example, a refugee went to work at a farm where other people from his country were working, but since he didn’t communicate this to the local Caritas branch, it was not possible to verify the existence of an employment contract.
Volunteers and host families also worried about the duration of financial support. Some volunteers explained their concerns:
Six months from now the whole Corridors thing will be over. She [the beneficiary] has two kids, how could she ever possibly manage to pay rent and do everything else when she has to do it all alone? I think this is the biggest issue. She doesn’t speak much Italian, and I have been trying to get her a summer job at a hotel, but she’s never had any training in cooking or cleaning or anything else, what kind of job can she get?
