Greece to get migrant-influx aid money

ATHENS, Greece — The European Commission on Thursday announced a new emergency support package for Greece to help it deal with the influx of tens of thousands of migrants and refugees.

The roughly $244 million package includes an about $176 million program to help those families rent accommodations in Greek cities and provide them with money to help them move out of refugee camps, EU officials said during a visit to Athens.

The commission said the new funding more than doubles the emergency support extended to Greece for the refugee crisis, raising it to a total of about $468 million. The rental project is in cooperation with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and will provide 22,000 rental places with the goal of increasing the number of refugees living in rented apartments to 30,000 by the end of the year, including 2,000 places on Greek islands.

A parallel plan at a cost of about $67.3 million will provide refugees and asylum seekers with monthly cash stipends distributed through cash-cards for expenses such as transport, food and medication.