This report aims to explore the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on Caritas Italy, on the Caritas dioceses and on the beneficiaries of the Humanitarian Corridors program that, until February 2020, were still being completely or partially assisted by Caritas. In this regard, it is necessary to specify that, as of February 21, 2020, none of the beneficiaries had achieved total economic and professional autonomy sufficient enough to no longer require help from Caritas. Some beneficiaries have started the journey to personal and familial economic (and more rarely) housing autonomy, having obtained internships, labor exchanges and full-time employment in the preceding months. In those cases, the diocesan social workers and beneficiaries were designing and implementing the stage of definitive independence from assistance.
The halt of economic activities and the restrictions on leaving the house have radically impacted such journeys, momentarily blocking them and, in some cases, causing the loss of work or the indefinite postponement of the openings of internships and work experiences. This report therefore focuses first on the impact of Coronavirus on the national economic system in general, and then looks at the economic and professional consequences for those beneficiaries that as of February 21, 2020, had a more or less stable working condition from which they drew economic resources to live.
The report also intends to highlight the social aspects of this emergency: the reaction of the welcoming community; the model of accompaniment that was applied to explain to the beneficiaries the sequence of events, the restrictions of personal freedoms and scholastic and professional activities; and the support to beneficiaries, both individuals and families, in a totally new and unexpected context. Ultimately, the report brings attention to the reactions of the beneficiaries towards the welcoming community, the diocesan teams and Italy more generally.
