New Program Creation: Supporting the Elderly on the Streets

The Emfasis team, through its street workers, social workers, and legal consultants, conducts on site visits in order to assist the elderly homeless. The particular program aims at meeting the needs of the elderly homeless who are suffering from the economic crisis, facing social exclusion, and as a result have been abandoned by their families. In cooperation with the Mobile Support Unit of Emfasis, free services such as medical care, psychological support, counseling and legal counsel and representation will be provided. More specifically, regarding the legal aspect, most of these homeless persons lack identification documents that are absolutely necessary for their representation in various social services for them to receive benefits. Regarding psychological support, the goal is to reduce the sense of loneliness and abandonment that the elderly homeless persons feel. Ultimately, the program seeks to help these persons off the streets while providing incentives for the continuation of their lives. Emfasis also collaborates with the social services of the Municipality of Piraeus in order to provide the elderly homeless persons with further assistance. This is the first street work program that is directed exclusively to elderly homeless people in Greece.