Most of these fifteen reception centres that currently exist in Greece are run by NGOs, and depend on funding, mainly from the European Refugee Fund. Disbursement of this funding in Greece is very slow. In the absence of secure funding, the level of services delivered to the few asylum seekers provided with a space in one of the centres is equally low, including, for example, for referrals to hospitals and schools. As many asylum seekers are forced to sleep rough, they are unable to comply with the obligation to provide an address to the Police Directorate which also can prevent them from receiving notification of decisions taken on their asylum application, and from meeting procedural deadlines. The absence of legal aid further aggravates this situation. People who are not accommodated in reception centres also face serious obstacles in gaining access to services including health care and education, among others. At times, the authorities evacuate locations where third-country nationals, including asylum seekers, reside as squatters, because of conditions that pose a risk to public health. However, in case of such evictions, no measures are taken to accommodate them elsewhere. In central Athens, in 2009 and 2010, dozens of such sites were emptied and sealed in police operations. Those who had been living there were evicted and left homeless. Among them were asylum seekers, including families with young children. Another more recent police operation, in 2012, called Xenios Zeus had as a result that during its first six months of operation, 77,526 migrants were brought to Police Departments for data control and 4.435 of them got arrested for staying in Greece “sans papiers”, among them many 66 asylum seekers and unaccompanied children. 67 An ‘Action Plan’ was presented by Greece to the European Commission in August 2010 and was regularly updated since. During the informal EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting of January 68 2013 the latest version of the Greek Action Plan was presented. The action plan foresees an increase in reception places, as well as some specialized facilities for children, all of which would be welcome measures if adopted and implemented in practice. Initial EU emergency funding have contributed to some extent to construction and refurbishment costs, but considerable additional resources are required to ensure the ongoing effective management, staffing and maintenance of such facilities. There are also indications that significantly more time will be required before the building of the new centres can start. Entitlements to the properties identified must be secured and construction tenders prepared before the building of additional reception places can begin. Even with the additional capacity of the proposed new and refurbished centres, the total reception capacity will still fall far short of the actual needs, should the number of asylum applications remain at current levels. Thus asylum seekers in Greece continue to face a high risk of homelessness, destitution and other conditions that hinder or render impossible the effective lodging of an asylum application. 3. Types of accommodation Indicators: - 66 67 68 Number of places in all the reception centres (both permanent and for first arrivals): 1006 Number of places in private accommodation: N/A Number of reception centres: 15 Are there any problems of overcrowding in the reception centres? Yes No What is, if available, the average length of stay of asylum seekers in the reception centres? Are unaccompanied children ever accommodated with adults in practice? Yes No Kathimerini, The Results of Operation Xenios Zeus of the Last 6 Months have been Published, 6 February 2013 (in Greek). European Commission, Press Release, Joint statement by Mr Christos Papoutsis, Minister of Citizen Protection of Greece and Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner in charge of Home Affairs: Greece and the Commission agree to enhance cooperation on reforming the Greek asylum system, Memo 10/450, 27 September 2010. Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Discussion Paper – Session II (Home Affairs) Greek National Action Plan on Asylum and Migration Management, Informal Justice and Home Affairs Ministers’ Meeting Dublin 17 - 18 January 2013. 41