Nearly a third of Athens’ homeless people have been unhoused for more than five years while most are aged over 50 and landed on the streets due to financial hardship, according to new research published by municipal authorities Thursday.
The City of Athens said a total 681 homeless people were surveyed in October, in cooperation with the Panteion University and volunteers, under a European Union program to record and research homelessness data in 35 of the continent’s cities.
The deputy mayor for social solidarity, Mina Foundzoula, said the project had yielded “important data.”
“Homelessness is one of Athens’ most crucial issues,” she said. “There is a pressing need to shape policies that respond to the true needs of our most vulnerable citizens, so that nobody remains invisible.”
The municipality said in a statement that according to the survey men accounted for roughly two thirds of the city’s homeless population. Some 70% were Greek nationals.
