From the late 1990s until today, the municipality of Barcelona has followed an intercultural strategy to implement inclusive measures for local migrant integration. These measures were reinforced to welcome asylum seekers as the population tripled between 2015 and 2017, through a range of measures, including:
- The reinforcing of the Care Service for Immigrants, Emigrants and Refugees (SAIER), a municipal service that offers information and advice on immigration, refuge, emigration and voluntary return for anyone living in Barcelona. In addition, the Nausica Programme, launched at the end of 2016, which comprehensively attends to refugees who have been excluded from State coverage to improve the processes of social integration through an individualised work plan with a range of services, including professional, social and psychological support, language teaching, legal, formative and labour guidance, and schooling for children.
- The establishment of targeted housing and reception policies that complement the national reception system. Migrants have access to municipal measures in key sectors such as housing, minimum living allowances and labour market integration - by the employment service Barcelona Activa - on the same basis as the other residents.
- The development of sensitization initiatives to curb discrimination and improve service delivery in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
- The development of local coordination mechanisms with migrant associations and non-governmental organisations that aim to share information, avoid duplication and maximise the access to services such as language classes for migrants. Spaces for citizen participation, such as the 'civil space', have also been opened to improve the challenge of welcoming, channels for volunteering have been established and a specific line of grants has been created to raise awareness about the subject of refuge. This has also contirbuted to public initatives like Refugiats Benvinguts (Welcome Refugees) a platform that puts refugees in need of a home in contact with residents who want to rent out a room and mentors who want to support them in the reception process
The Welcome Network of civil society actors in the city of Barcelona helps reach out to migrants that are hard to contact. Platforms such as the Network of Welcome and Support for Migrants, which bring together the municipality and non-governmental actors to enhance coordination and information sharing, have been identified as a best practice for other cities.
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