Presentation given by Stelios Kampouridis Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity, Greece, at a FEANTSA seminar on "Funding strategies: Building the case for homelessness", hosted by the Committee of the Regions, June 2012

1. Greece: The costs of not tackling
homelessness – emerging trends
Stelios Kampouridis
Ministry of Health and
Social Solidarity

2. Presentation topics
• Current situation in Greece
• European policy framework
• Greek public policy
 General social policy framework
 Wider context of policies related to housing
 Policies for the homeless
• Conclusion

3. Current situation
• Lack of reliable statistical data
• Clear indications of increasing trends (data
from NGO and municipal authorities)
• Short-term assessment that the increasing
trends will continue

4. Current situation
• Trend of change in the profile of the homeless
• Vulnerable social groups
 Immigrants/Refugees
 Drug/alcohol users
 Mental health patients
 Roma
• Emergence of a neo-homeless population (including families)
 Unemployment
 Loss of residence
 Lack of family/supportive environment

5. European policy framework
• Economic crisis context /Restrictive policies
• Social policy in general as a low priority for the
EU. Need for a European strategy on
homelessness. 2014-2020 period.
• Management of immigration as a European
issue

6. Public policy in Greece
General social policy framework
• The economic crisis and the applied restrictive policies
• Increasing need for social protection policies
• Reduced spending for social protection policies
• Is the rapid decline in living standards -without the
development of a basic protective safety net to prevent
extensive marginalisation phenomena- socially affordable?

7. Public policy in Greece
Wider context related to housing
• Parameters:
 Planned abolition/restriction of Greek Workers' Housing Organization - institution for the
implementation of social housing and targeted homelessness prevention policies
 Limiting spending on policies for (mental) health, welfare, dealing with drugs and social
security
Does the necessary economic streamlining of the social protection system lead inevitably to
the limitation of the right of access to housing and health/welfare services?
 Significant increase in cases of inability to repay home loans. Suspension of forced sales of
residences until the end of 2012.
 Recent changes in the eviction process (acceleration)
 The management of migration flows as an issue that exceeds the management capabilities of
Greece

8. Public policy in Greece
Policies for the homeless
• Recent inclusion of the issue in public debate
• Existing/ scheduled policies
• Attempt to form an integrated public policy

9. Policies for the homeless –
Existing actions
• Main existing actions:
 Social shelters
 Emergency temporary housing or financial aid services
 Support services (social markets, pharmacies, clinics)
 Housing schemes for special groups (structures for asylum seekers, trafficking
victims, abused women/children, mental health patients, unaccompanied or
neglected children, rent subsidies for the elderly).
• Scheduled actions
 Emergency shelters
 Day centres
 Support services
• Active reintegration policies
 Doubtful accessibility by the homeless population
 Doubtful effectiveness without prior solution of their housing problem
• The role of civil society. NGOs, Church and local non-institutional
support/solidarity actions

10. Policies for the homeless –
Existing actions
• Primarily oriented towards actions
managing the issue
• Lack of homelessness prevention
policies

11. Policies for the homeless –
An integrated public policy
Establishment of a committee to draft an action
plan for the homeless
First attempt to form an integrated public
policy within an uncertain
political/administrative context

12. Policies for the homeless –
Definition of homelessness
Recent legislative definition of the homeless as a vulnerable group entitled
to social protection. Based on ETHOS typology
“The homeless are acknowledged as a vulnerable social group entitled to
social protection. The homeless are defined as all individuals residing
legally in the country, who lack or have insecure access to adequate
owned, rented or bestowed accommodation that meets the necessary
technical specifications and has the basic water and electricity services.
Homeless people are especially those living on the street, in shelters,
those who are temporarily hosted in institutions or other closed
structures out of necessity, and those living in unfit housing."

13. Conclusion
The challenge of developing a policy of
prevention and tackling homelessness under
conditions of
 increasing poverty
 restrictive policies/ reduced spending for social
protection policies
 an uncertain economic/ political/ administrative
context in Greece and the E.U.