GREECE: Athens opens temporary shelters and distributes blankets to the homeless as temperatures drop below zero degrees celsius

Record ID: 333208

  • Title: GREECE: Athens opens temporary shelters and distributes blankets to the homeless as temperatures drop below zero degrees celsius
  • Date: 1st February 2012
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JANUARY 30, 2012) (REUTERS) WINDS BLOWING AND SNOWFLAKES STARTING TO FALL IN ATHENS STREETS AS CARS PASS SNOWFLAKES BLOWING VARIOUS OF TEMPERATURE SHOWING -1 DEGREES CELSIUS ATHENS SQUARE WITH MAN SLEEPING ON THE GROUND IN THE SQUARE WITHOUT ANY COVERING SAME HOMELESS MAN WITH A BOX OVER HIS HEAD TO COVER HIM FROM THE COLD SAME MAN LYING ON THE PAVEMENT ON THE SQUARE ATHENS MUNICIPAL CENTRE FULL OF BLANKETS AND CLOTHES, MUNICIPAL WORKERS GATHERING UP BLANKETS MORE OF MUNICIPAL WORKERS GATHERING TOGETHER BLANKETS FOR THE HOMELESS INTO A PILE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) GEORGE APOSTOLOPOULOS, PRESIDENT OF THE CITY OF ATHENS HOMELESS FOUNDATION SAYING: "We make up a programme and a route in order to find them in coordination with the reports by the citizens of the city to the telephone lines that operate 24 hours, in order to distribute to them clothes and anything else that will help them during these difficult hours." MUNICIPAL WORKERS LOADING A VAN FULL OF CLOTHES AND BLANKETS (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) GEORGE APOSTOLOPOULOS, PRESIDENT OF THE CITY OF ATHENS HOMELESS FOUNDATION SAYING: "Without mentioning any numbers I will say that the homeless have increased because of the economic crisis and the situation that has created in general." MUNICIPAL WORKER HANDING OUT BLANKETS TO TWO HOMELESS PEOPLE LYING ON THE PAVEMENT TWO HOMELESS PEOPLE UNDER BLANKETS ON THE PAVEMENT IN THE COLD VARIOUS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE WALKING TOGETHER WRAPPED UP IN CLOTHES AND WITH HOODS ON THEIR HEADS FROM THE COLD SAME GROUP OF HOMELESS PEOPLE SHRUGGING FROM THE COLD AS THEY SHUFFLE ALONG GYMNASIUM SET UP AS A TEMPORARY SHELTER FROM THE COLD BY THE MUNICIPALITY HOMELESS PEOPLE INSIDE THE SHELTER TO ESCAPE THE COLD HOMELESS PEOPLE WRAPPED IN CLOTHES WALKING AROUND SHELTER VARIOUS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE IN THE GYMNASIUM SHELTER KEEPING WARM PEOPLE WALKING ABOUT THE SHELTER, PLAYING BALL IN THE SHELTER
  • Embargoed: 16th February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece, Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2MTPX9J34XY270AEHKYLIVGEK
  • Story Text: Freezing temperatures struck Greece late on Monday (January 30) sending municipal workers scrambling to take care of the increasing numbers of homeless in the Athens capital.
    A cold front has swept through the country and is expected to remain for days, forcing temperatures below zero degrees celsius and as low as minus 24 degrees in some parts in the north of the country.
    Snow has begun to fall in several areas and sparse snowflakes were even seen falling in Athens, where temperatures late on Monday fell to minus one degrees celsius.
    Municipality workers from the City of Athens Homeless Foundation took to the streets to hand out blankets and sleeping bags to people sleeping rough and inform them of temporary shelters where they could seek some protection from the biting cold.
    The spell of bad weather is expected to continue until Thursday (February 2).
    Light snowfall is expected in Athens causing concern to municipal authorities about the welfare of the homeless as the lack of permanent shelters in Athens means many of them will spend the freezing nights in the streets.
    "We make up a programme and a route in order to find them in coordination with the reports by the citizens of the city to the telephone lines that operate 24 hours, in order to distribute to them clothes and anything else that will help them during these difficult hours," said George Apostolopoulos, President of the City of Athens Homeless Foundation.
    According to the Athens municipality the homeless in Greece have increased by at least 20 percent since the crisis began.
    "Without mentioning any numbers I will say that the homeless have increased because of the economic crisis and the situation in general," Apostolopoulos said.
    One non-governmental organisation estimates the homeless in Greece have risen by 25 percent since 2009 saying there are approximately 17,000-20,000 homeless in all of Greece.
    There is no official data and the government is preparing to document their numbers and prepare a bill to create legislation defining the homeless, a relatively recent phenomenon in Greece.
    According to the Ministry of Health the "new homeless" are made up of families that have been rendered roofless and jobless due by the economic crisis.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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