precisely because the hotel is an open space where people can move freely, phenomena such as
unannounced departures from the island have been observed, though in total it is estimated there
are estimated to be around 60 minors. The Zikas hotel is used as a temporary shelter for
unaccompanied minors until they find a space in the transitional housing units run by Praksis on
the island.
Those involved in the identification of unaccompanied minors also are those who involved in the
process evaluating and prioritizing the minors that go directly to the temporary housing units run
by Praksis. Interestingly, based on information we received from UNHCR and the National
Center for Social Solidarity (N.C.S.S.), which are responsible for finding housing for
unaccompanied minors, they were only aware of the cases of unaccompanied minors staying in
the transitional housing units run by Praksis, and not of those minors staying in the hotel.
However, the information we had from the police regarding this issue was the N.C.S.S. was
aware of all the cases involving unaccompanied minors on the island, while the representative
from Praksis with whom we talked preferred to not speak on the issue. This becomes even more
interesting, however, especially if one considers that housing spaces for unaccompanied minors
are extremely limited across Greece and as a result, particularly within the previous time period,
there were delays in finding spaces and minors stayed in the hotel even for months.
The medical treatment of unaccompanied minors at the hotel is covered by WAHA personnel,
notably by a nursing staff presence from 2p.m. to 5p.m. and a doctor who, however, is also
called to meet the needs of people in Leros, resulting in him having to split his time between the
two islands.
B. Mercy Corps Apartments - Vulnerable Groups
In the same street as the the hotel, there are apartments for temporary housing for vulnerable
cases, funded by and managed by the organization Mercy Corps. During our visit to the
apartments, 2 families from Afghanistan, 1 Kurdish family, which had come to the island before
the Agreement came into force on 20/3, a single-parent family of Syrian and Palestinian
nationaly, 1 elderly person who had lost his entire family in a shipwreck in Kalymnos, 1 Syrian
couple along with the wife’s sister, who had epilepsy, and 2 Palestinians who both had husbands
in other countries in Europe and were waiting to begin the process of reunification were all
staying there, while 2 Syrian women had recently left from there.
C. Praksis Transitional Housing Units for Unaccompanied Minors
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