Although 2020 is not the first year that the FM4 Paso Libre shelter in Guadalajara has requested community support during the winter, this year’s drive has taken on special urgency due to the pandemic.
The facility for refugees and migrants receives support from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees but it also relies on help from local individuals, social groups and businesses. That help is being actively solicited now due to the advent of cold weather and the fact that fewer people are spending the night at the shelter than during pre-pandemic times. FM4 now only houses those who have decided to quarantine there, although it continues to provide services to “an average of 25 to 30 people a day,” said Executive Director Luis Enrique G. Araiza. These services include food, clothing, basic necessities, counseling and assistance with finding work and housing, sometimes temporary.
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