Faced with the pressing needs for housing and protection of unaccompanied minors, METAdrasi’s team worked in collaboration with various institutional entities and multi-national organizations to develop a groundbreaking housing initiative for unaccompanied minors. Created after evaluating various European public housing models, along with the Greek legal frameworks for implementing such a programme, METAdrasi’s “Supported Independent Living for unaccompanied minors” offers an alternative initiative regarding care provision for unaccompanied minors aged 16 to 18, identified refugees or asylum seekers, irrelevant of nationality.

The programme offers, in addition to safe housing, a series of services that cover minors’ basic needs (education, health, psychosocial development, legal aid, interpretation etc), along with a proper level of care and guardianship. Emphasis is placed on setting goals, boosting self-esteem and self-preservation, developing personal interests, and embracing personal empowerment.  The aim of this programme is to enable participants’ smooth coming-of-age and ultimate integration into Greek society. The programme is supervised by an interdisciplinary team, which consists of a social worker, psychologist and other caretakers. This team offers psychosocial support to teens and encourages their gradual independence.

The activity was implemented with the support of UNICEF,  UNHCR and Just Cycling and funding by the European Commission, the important contribution of the Public Prosecutor for Minors and METAdrasi’s Guardianship Network for Unaccompanied Minors, as well as with the cooperation of EKKA (National Center for Social Solidarity). The activity is now being implemented with the support of the National Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, co-funded by the European Union.