Venice major, Paolo Costa, and the social affairs councillor Beppe Caccia officially declared the camp closed during a press release at Ca’ Farsetti at the presence among all of Rosanna Marcato and Maurizio Mauro, head of Immigration Services.
Rosanna Marcato refers of the fact.
“March 31 2003, as already programmed by Venice Council, firts accomodation camp in San Giuliano was closed. It hosted refugees families coming from Kosovo. The fire that took place Fabruary 14 made it necessary to find immediate accomodation for the families who were still living at the camp (around 70 people). They were immediately moved to a former school Gramsci in Campalto while awaiting for the other solutions to be activated.
A ten years long work is almost over, during these ten years historical, juridical, social and individual happenings mixed up producing a great complexity in the finding of integration solutions.
This path, that got together with all difficulties such the living together with Roma people, was possible only because it was a path of joint work, the work of the council and of the cooperatives Cogess and Caracol which both held the aim of integrating people.
The greatest obstacle has always been finding accomodation, on which the most of financial aids were spent. Legal problems and bureaucracy matters slowed solutions down. Schooling has been another great issue.
The program was based on the fact that each family was followed, each individual was helped in finding stable jobs and housing.
Venice council Immigration Service learnt a lot from this experience, in fact it helped in the development of knowledge and intervention methods which can be applied to other accomodation projects and to refugees.
The city answer was very good as well. Many volunteers helped. A volunteer names the project called “Mila”. The project was approved of in December 1999. Caracol Cooperative worked in finding housing solutions.
The closures dates were completely respected. 407 people used to live there, 47 families bought a house or rented one, 18 families found a pubblic accomodation and only 14 families chose to go back home".
