Venezuelans living on the streets find security in a new reception center in Colombia

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Venezuelans living on the streets find security in a new reception center in Colombia

UNHCR News, 15 Apr 2019

URL: https://www.acnur.org/noticias/stories/2019/4/5cb4bff24/venezolanos-que-viven-en-las-calles-encuentran-seguridad-en-un-nuevo-centro.html
Thousands of families from Venezuela who arrive in Maicao, Colombia do so with very little means to survive, if they have any means at all. Many of them have lived in streets, parking lots, public spaces or makeshift tents for several months, since shelter capacity in the city is very limited.

With a population of around 100,000 people, Maicao currently hosts 30,000 refugees and migrants. In an evaluation carried out in February by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, 3,500 Venezuelan people interviewed claimed to be living on the streets or in informal settlements in the city or its surroundings.

At the end of 2018, the local authorities of Maicao and the Colombian government asked UNHCR for support to install a temporary reception center to help address the lack of facilities for so many people in need.