Challenge identified: Many migrants in Spain live in vulnerable conditions due to physical deterioration or lack of social, family and economic support.

Goals defined:

• To provide housing, food and coverage of basic needs to programme participants;
• To provide basic tools for the promotion of migrants’ integration into the host society;
• To complement these provisions with individualised projects that facilitate the process of social and cultural integration, paying special attention to any specific health conditions.

Admission to the programme is by direct referral from the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Social Security, or at the request of the individual themselves. The duration of the programme is a maximum of six months, during which time the participant is provided with accommodation. They are also supported with meeting the cost of maintenance and covering basic needs.

In addition, participants receive assistance in the development or securing of tools to facilitate their integration. As far as this is concerned, serval dimensions of intervention are considered and then decided upon according to the needs of the individual. These dimensions include legal integration, social inclusion, educational integration, psychological integration and integration in health. Types of intervention include sessions with trained professionals in the chosen area of focus, support from cultural mediators and mentoring programmes.

By 31 December 2018, the programme had covered 4 580 users across the country.

The programme implements individual-based evaluations. Each programme beneficiary is evaluated according to specific indicators and objectives, set according to their personal profile and conditions.

Dastin Fakam Tadja, a former programme participant, said: 

'When we talk to people who have already arrived in Spain, they tell us how easy it is to get money, but they don't say anything about the difficulties. In our countries children and young people are pushed out because only work is valued, not training. It is a difficult way to get older. On the reception floor there are people who support us. We need to access training, such as learning Spanish, and real integration processes, because it is essential for society to understand us.'

Any migrant in a vulnerable situation is eligible for the programme. This can include, in particular, minors formerly protected by public services. These young individuals oftentimes find themselves in a precarious situation and at risk of social exclusion.

The programme has produced a comprehensive list of examples of vulnerability that may affect a person, including the following:

• physical illness; 
• psychological disease; 
• disability; 
• lack of understanding of the social environment; 
• lack of legal residence or work authorisation; 
• no identifying documentation; 
• without economic resources; 
• without accommodation; 
• living in a slum or overcrowded conditions; 
• victims of gender violence; 
• single parent families; 
• large families; 
• pregnant women; 
• young people between 18 and 23 years old;
• adults over 50 years old.

In addition to its own budget, the programme relies upon national funding from the Ministry of Labour, Migrations and Social Security.