Northern Greece

The refugee solidarity response in Northern Greece is centred around Thessaloniki. The city hosts a variety of community-run infrastructure, including warehouses, informal schools, social centres, and squats. The central warehousing hub in Northern Greece is run by IHA; it supplies projects in the city as well as camps in the surrounding smaller towns.

Displaced people in this sub-region may seek permanent residence or prepare to travel further west.

In both cities and surrounding areas, there are some formal camps, as well as people living in squats, apartments, or without any shelter. The camps on the mainland are following the trends seen on the Aegean Islands, with high concrete walls being built around them, echoing the detention centre style of accommodation. The living conditions in the detention centres are often deplorable. As the registration procedure gets stricter many are told that they are not “vulnerable enough” for shelter, food, or monetary aid.