FAQ

After the scheduled period, can I extend the hospitality?

No, Vesta is a project devoted to integration, not pure welfare. Hospitality in a family is seen as a moment of transition, not a final goal. Furthermore, if the prescribed times are respected, it is possi-ble to allow others to experience the experience of hospitality in a home.

As a supporting family, how much time do I have to dedicate to this project?

No specific timeframe is requested; you can plan activities and moments for meeting based on your free time. The important thing is to maintain a certain regularity over time.

After the scheduled period, can I repeat the experience with another guest?

Yes, at the end of the period, the staff of Vesta and the host will jointly evaluate whether to wel-come a new guest.

Can I accommodate more than one refugee?

Yes, if the size of the house is adequate, the reception of up to two people can be assessed.

Will I be entitled to a refund?

Vesta will pay a sum of 350 euros a month to the family. There are no other forms of compensation.

What do I have to provide the person I host?

The host must provide a private room and board, in compliance with any specific dietary require-ments. In addition to this, the host is required to involve the guest as much as possible in life inside and outside the home, in order to facilitate integration. The Vesta project itself will help in support with cultural, recreational and sports activities, to consolidate and increase the network of relation-ships.

What is the guest required to do?

The guest is required to comply with the Welcome Agreement signed with the host. He or she has no other obligations. If there are further requests, they must be agreed mutually. The Vesta staff can be consulted for any questions.

What exactly is am ‘international protection applicant (asylum seeker)’?

An applicant for international protection is a person who, outside his or her country of origin, pre-sents an application for international protection in another state. The applicant remains with this sta-tus until the competent authorities (in Italy the territorial Commissions for the recognition of inter-national protection) decide on the application for protection.

Can I offer hospitality even if my home is rented?

Yes, to apply you do not need to be the owner of the property.

How is the Vesta project funded?

The Vesta project operates with funds from the SPRAR (Protection System for Asylum Seekers and Refugees), a programme of the Ministry of the Interior.

What exactly is a ‘refugee’?

A refugee is someone who has a “well- founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, reli-gion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country” [Article 1A of the 1951 Geneva Convention concerning the status of refugees].

What does the name Vesta mean?

Vesta is the Roman goddess of the domestic hearth, and represents a perfect symbol for the philo-sophy of the project’s hospitality in the home programme.

What is the usual target age of an unaccompanied foreign minor assigned for foster care?

These are generally young adolescent or pre-adolescent children.

Can I go ahead with the fostering of an unaccompanied foreign minor even if I am single?

Yes, married and unmarried couples, with children or without, and single persons are all eligible for offering foster care to an unaccompanied foreign minor.

Is the consent of the unaccompanied foreign minor necessary to proceed with the fostering?

Yes, the consent of the unaccompanied foreign minor is always necessary to proceed with the foster care.

What is the difference between foster care and adoption?

Foster care is a temporary welcoming of a minor, and very different to adoption. Furthermore, the custody of an unaccompanied foreign minor has specific features relating mainly to the absence of the family of origin on the Italian territory. For this reason foster care of an unaccompanied foreign minor does not provide for a reactivation of the parenting skills of origin, but is aimed at providing a welcoming family context, with an individual and personalised planning enabling the child to aim full independence in the future.

Can I invite an unaccompanied foreign minor to my home?

Yes, you can invite one or more minors to your home, for example for a Sunday lunch. It will be sufficient to inform the person responsible at the centre to check for any other commitments already scheduled in advance.

What activities can I do as a community assistant?

There are many activities that can be offered to help unaccompanied foreign minors present in the centre, from assisting in tasks to recreational activities outside the community, from Italian lessons to moments of leisure together.
The assistant is free to suggest ideas and activities to be carried out in the community, with the help of the centre’s manager, who can provide support in the creation of socialising events on the basis of the commitments the children have.

Can I choose the guest?

The decision of matching hosts and guests is made following a careful analysis that takes into ac-count their respective characteristics and needs.

If I’m single can I offer hospitality?

Yes, the hospitality programme is open to singles, unmarried couples, spouses with or without chil-dren.

If we do not get on, can we break off the hospitality?

Yes, if problems of cohabitation arise which cannot be remedied, the Vesta staff will arrange to su-spend the hospitality in the family.

Does the guest have to have a private room?

Yes, it is not possible to accommodate him or her in dormitories, double rooms or in rooms used for other purposes.