Through the initiative “Welcommon”, the social cooperative “Wind of Renewal”, together with public and private (NGO) partners from Greece and other countries, was able to cover the basic needs of up to 200 refugees and promote their education, training and integration into the labour market.
The WELCOMMON Hostel has a quite uncommon history. For many years the building was used as a public clinic. During the Greek economic crisis, in February 2013, the clinic was shut down and merged with a bigger hospital. Wind of Renewal began renting the building in August 2016. The social cooperative refurbished it in order to transform it into an innovative center – WELCOMMON – for the hosting and social inclusion of the most vulnerable refugees.
The project was not simply meant to be for the refugees but with the refugees –working with them for their benefit, as well as that of the neighborhood and the local community. It became one of the most innovative and creative centers for hosting, empowering and socially including refugees, based on the idea of “empowerment through the community”.
