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May 10, 2016
Photos: In Athens, an Abandoned Hotel Becomes a Refuge for Asylum-Seekers
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Surviving Fortress Europe
The Syrian refugee crisis is changing both refugee communities and their host countries.
The movement of refugees into Europe has subsided, at least some, but there are still thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers in Europe who are awaiting word on their status: Will they be granted asylum, or not?
But as they wait, they're forced to live on minimal government handouts, and with no ability to work. Especially for families with children, that can be an exceedingly diffcult life.
In Athens, one of the first big cities migrants may come to, a group of activists have taken over a hotel that that ran into financial problems during Greece's economic crisis. They didn't buy the building or anything, they just moved in.
For the 300-plus migrants who have now moved into the City Plaza Hotel, the building is a place where they can start over, a place to wait while they find out where they'll go next.
Additional reporting and multimedia on this story is featured on GlobalPost.
