ESC: HELPING HANDS

The Foundation ComunitàServizi was born in 1995 from a rib of Caritas Diocesana of Savona. The two bodies work together in harmony to plan and run their services. The Foundation does maintain the spirit of the prevailing EDUCATIONAL ROLE that characterizes Caritas’ work. It is officially at the service of the Church of Savona-Noli to be a clear expression of Charity through its institutional work. It is a private Foundation that aims at social SOLIDARITY; we promote, run and support activities for SOCIAL WELFARE, inspired by the Christianity and the evangelical message. We also endeavor to stimulate the civil society and the Institutions. We aim at a society where good human relations are the base of fraternal and INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES. We believe that all human beings, rich and poor, must feel worthy to be God’s son and must have access to a full development of his/her personality. Our actions are primarily addressed to all people in need for economical, social or other personal reasons. We can rely on a large number of volunteers. They are the expression of a responsible society that takes care of its people. Our services are divided in 5 departments: SEVERE MARGINALITY: we try to help men and women that, due to different personal reasons, have been left aside in the society, in our towns; those people that may be invisible to the eyes of most of us, people we pass by without even seeing them. Caritas has always been with them, trying to make them feel less alone, respecting their dignity. That is why we try to take them into a path aimed at improving their condition. At this stage we offer services that provide people with their basic needs: a warm welcoming person listening to them, a warm meal, a place to sleep and rest, the chance to have a shower and buy their food. Anyway, the focus in these services is not what we offer to people but how: helped by our volunteers, we try to make people feel at home, welcomed, respected. HOUSING: the target is to provide a house to people that may have lost it or simply does not have it. Individuals or families follow a path aimed at making their autonomy grow. There is a range of different programs such as co-housing, housing first and other kinds of agreements. At the same time, we help their integration process by organising activities both addressed to them and the community and creating situations where they meet local people, get to know each other and share interests. IMMIGRATION: this service is addressed to foreign people who live in our town with or without documents. We have a legal office where people can be oriented and followed for what concerns the legal practices of their documents, a reception center for asylum seekers, a school for learning Italian language. FAMILY HOUSE: we have two houses where we accept not only minors but also men, women and families that have been left aside in our society. Thanks to the help of our volunteers we try to make them feel at home and integrate in the society. Apart from helping them in knowing our town and its services we organize activities that involve the Community, where they can feel part of our society and getting to know their neighbours. VOLUNTEERING: it is part of our mission. We strongly believe that volunteering is the strongest way to make the Community more aware of the needs of our society and people look at those in a condition of fragility. That is why we organise specific training for our volunteers and take care especially of the youngest. Their strength, motivation and power of attraction help us to communicate to our society and to more easily involve citizens. Especially, we take care of a group of youngs acting in our organisation under different frames such us european volunteering service, national civil service, internships or exchange programs with the public school.