Provide safe harbour to people seeking refuge

*Josephine, a single mother who fled Congo several years ago due to internal fighting, she first came to us when she had recently arrived in Greece and was struggling to feed herself and her three year old daughter. We were able to support her and her daughter with food to take home and cook every month, alongside hygiene items, period-products and nappies.

After close to a year of coming to our food distribution she came to us in desperate need of housing, as upon receiving her second rejection she had been forced to leave her former accommodation. We supported her for several days in an emergency hotel until a partner organisation was able to offer her long term accommodation, and also referred her to legal-aid who can help her dispute the rejection. Thanks to our relationship with her from the food distributions she trusted us to confide her problems, and we were able to support her. 

For many women experiencing homelessness they are at high risk of being trafficked; therefore we were happy to be able to intervene and prevent her falling through the cracks. Now we see Josephine and her daughter every month for the food distribution and she lets us know that she is doing much better, and awaiting the outcome of her appeal. Meanwhile her daughter is always excited to come to the distributions as she loves the biscuits that are part of our food package.

The last period has been a time of change across Athens, with the closure of state-sponsored apartments for vulnerable asylum seekers leaving several thousand people facing homelessness or living in precarious conditions, just like Josephine. Meanwhile in a recent speech the Greek government pledged to ‘Make Athens Refugee Free’ by 2023, and we are witnessing a crackdown of displaced people and organisations supporting them in the run up to the Greek elections. 

Every day our team receives requests for support putting food on the table and a roof over their heads. Thanks to you, we have assisted more than 1,000 men, women, and children. Our support includes providing vital information through our information point and emergency hotline. Through these mechanisms, our team can support people who have recently arrived in Greece to access social services and navigate the Greek bureaucracy. 

We are grateful for your ongoing support that allows us to continue supporting families and individuals like Josephine. Thank you for standing in solidarity with us and for providing dignified assistance to those experiencing the worst effects of forced migration. 

If you have any questions or would like additional information, don't hesitate to contact me at hoc@lighthouserelief.org. 

In Solidarity,

Alana Chloe Esposito