In the big city like Turin it is often complicated for an asylum seeker or refugee to get in touch with individualized guidance and listening services. Very often, in fact, the few exiting services are overwhelmed by the needs to “ dispose” a large quantity of requests, partly because of the insufficiency or fragmentation of institutional services, to which the third sector tries to make up. It is very easy for these people, who do not know the territory or know it only in part, become numbers even in services that try to listen to the unique experience of individuals.

MOSAICO is present in the Turin area with an information and cultural mediation point for asylum seekers and central refugees at the San salvario neighborhood house and with a detached and more fluid proposal at Port Nuova Station, place of rest, departure and arrival for many people.
The information point is open once a week, on Monday afternoon, and over time about 30 operators have been involved in counter activities between trainees, volunteers and project coordinators and work with a holistic approach and dedicated to empowering the people who receive legal support (thanks also to the collaboration with ASGI), search for work and housing solutions.

The activity, which at the moment is based only on the work of some Mosaico Volunteers, aims to create a space for listening and guidance, careful to guarantee everyone their own time and bearing in mind the specificity of each individual journey. 

Without glasses or desks that divide beneficiaries and mediators, the desk guarantees individualized listening and the use of very important information, always accompanied by a more general explanation that gives awareness of one’s choices and possibilities. The information that MOSAICO offers concerns access to the path of recognition of refugee status: from the asylum request, to the examination by the Territorial Commission, up to a possible appeal in the event of a first negative decision.

It is also possible to have support and guidance with respect to any bureaucratic process that an asylum seeker or refugee needs to perform. These include the renewal of the international protection permit, the request for residence, family reunification or registration with the SSN.

It is also possible to find out about the steps to enroll in schools, universities or training courses, which since 2016 have increased the numbers of refugees enrolled at the university the things that urges constant help in all phases of the study through a network composed of the Association Mosaico, the Foreigners Office of the Municipality of Turin, the Franz Fanon Association and the University of Turin, and help in finding a job is foreseen, though the compilation of the CV and orientation to the World of labour market.

It is also possible to obtain information on various services in the area, in particular on access to medical, psychological and social services and a legal service is also offered with the help of a lawyer specialized in immigration practices.

The Mosaico Association with its information and support activities for refugees, including those who are on the territory, despite having been present in the territory for a long time, remain in a vulnerable condition), even in legal routes, has always had over time the support of a specialist lawyer in the field of forced migration (member of ASGI) and UNHCR support in the figure of an expert in integration.

The need for technical consultancy has gradually increased with the complexity of the regulation on the subject, both community and national, and for this reason it was decided to formalize and further structure this essential support.

The information desk of Mosaico represents a new reality in the Turin panorama also thanks to the characteristic given by being a place of sharing with other people who have previously experienced difficult situations because of their migratory status and for the personalized services that are offered.