What differentiates Emfasis Non-Profit from other organizations that focus on our fellow homeless people is that their offer is not limited to a specific medium, such as feeding, but their primary purpose is to approach those who do not go (or are not ready) to ask for help, making the first move to meet them in their environment, always respecting the conditions and conditions of people. This is basically the streetworking that also characterizes the Emfasis Non-Profit.
“Respecting the freedom of choice of each of our fellow human beings and their dignity, we show our presence discreetly so that as soon as they feel ready to be helped, they do not hesitate to ask for it,” Vangelis, a core member of the group, told ESG+ Stories.
Founded in 2013, Emfasis, an civil non-profit organization, supports and empowers fellow human beings experiencing multiple forms of homelessness, chronically unemployed, families in extreme poverty, socially vulnerable, socially excluded elderly and fellow human beings at risk of imminent homelessness or precarious roof.
The action of Emfasis Non-Profit is based on the principles of Social Streetwork and aims to alleviate the homeless population, prevent homelessness and tackle impending homelessness. In practice, it provides humanitarian, counselling and family support and designs and implements tailor-made programmes to address the needs of people experiencing any form of homelessness or extreme poverty.
According to the latest ELSTAT data on the risk of poverty and social exclusion, 742,235 households out of 4,049,102 households are at risk of poverty. At the same time, the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to the revised definition, amounts to 26.3% of the country's population (2,722,000 people) in 2022, showing a decrease of 2 percentage points compared to 2021 (28.3%).
Unfortunately, there are no adequate statistics on the number of homeless people, as they are not recorded in Greece, but homelessness in our country is an important social issue and according to estimates homelessness affects more than 20.000 people in Athens alone. It is worth noting that there is no internationally accepted definition of homelessness, but according to FEANTSA, the European Federation of National Organizations that work with the Homeless, there are the following categories: homeless on the street (visible homelessness) and non-visible homelessness which concerns those who are homeless (living in centers in hostels etc. have private housing), living in precarious housing conditions (threat of eviction, threat of violence) or living in inadequate or unsuitable accommodation.
The scope of action of Emfasis is mainly the wider region of Attica, providing humanitarian, counseling and family support with the groups of experienced streetworkers of the organization, (psychologists, sociologists, social workers, etc.) who are accompanied by trained volunteers and 2 mobile support units. “The demographic we focus on is people experiencing extreme poverty, people on the road, homeless people, refugees — migrants, refugees, dependents, lonely old people, minorities and sex workers,” says Vangelis.
Since 2018, it has contributed with the mobile support units to the relief of those affected by natural disasters (Mati, Evia, Heraklion, etc.), and from March 2023 with the First National Scope & Benefit Programme EmfaSEAs, with a donation from the Athina I. Martinou Foundation, travels around Greece sharing the Streetwork methodology to professionals & volunteers while promoting the values of volunteering.
“Since 2013, we have been supporting and empowering fellow human beings experiencing multiple forms of homelessness, chronically unemployed, families in extreme poverty, socially vulnerable, socially excluded, elderly people at risk of impending homelessness or in precarious housing,” Vangelis notes.
Since its inception, the organization has been designing and implementing, without prejudice, relief programs for people who live or spend a lot of their day on the road. Its programs are based on the needs of these people as recorded by the streetworkers of Emfasis Non-Profit, and are designed to provide relief in the way they want. The number of beneficiaries who have received support and relief so far exceeds 8,000.
Emfasis Non-Profit consists of the core core, a team that works exclusively within the organization and volunteers who, either permanently or occasionally, help in the organization's work. The streetworkers are divided into groups and start in different shifts mapping the areas of Attica, slowly getting to know the neighborhood in order to become part of its landscape, while making a record.
The Emfasis Non-Profit team remains available to those who need their support to share with them their daily needs and difficulties. For its part, the social work group on the street reports daily to the social service of the Organization the findings of the daily action and refers the incidents that need immediate investigation.
The core team of the Organization with a team of experienced volunteers approach people in need, regardless of age, gender, origin, etc., and learn the request and then try to implement it. “We recognize the needs of our fellow human beings and through our donors (individuals and companies) we try to fulfill all requests,” Vangelis notes.
They provide assistance in scheduling medical appointments, upon consent and provide professional integration services (CV preparation, interview preparation, classifieds, etc.). In addition, they pronounce survival items (sleeping bags, blankets, jackets, shoes) hygiene items such as shower gels and toothpastes, snacks, juices, water, long-lasting food for cooking, and gift certificates for supermarkets. The latter, according to Vangelis, is a nice way of mobilizing, because the homeless person will enter a process of visiting a supermarket and shopping for what he needs.
Also, if the Emfasis Non-Profit team considers that a homeless request can be fulfilled more quickly than another institution with more expertise, they immediately make the relevant referral and then monitor the request if it has been resolved.
Finally, organize empowering actions, such as the Program “Music on the Street — Life Therapy”, which was born out of the manifest desire of the beneficiaries themselves to express themselves, to have fun, to create, but also to socialize, or like the Program “Holistic Reintegration of 3rd & 4th Age in Street Living Conditions”, which, in cooperation with the Mobile Support Unit of Emfasis Non-Profit, provides free services to elderly people in need of medical care, psychological support, counseling but also legal advice, representation or accompaniment.
Consistent and responsible volunteering is the cornerstone of Emfasis Non-Profit. Their programs are designed with respect and aim to integrate volunteers smoothly and efficiently into their daily work. There is no more satisfying way than to offer one's experience to an organization whose primary purpose is the recovery of human dignity.
Anyone interested in joining the volunteer team can fill out a volunteer application and the Volunteer Management Team will contact you to discuss together how you can offer from a few hours a week or on a regular basis in one of their programs.
Emfasis Non-Profit operates completely independent of state or European programs. “We rely exclusively on contributions from companies, charitable foundations and donations from individuals,” says Vangelis.
One of these companies is also Elin “Through the programme "othisi" cooperates with organizations that implement public benefit projects and actively supports their activity in order to meet the daily needs of our vulnerable fellow human beings.
Its offer Elin Emfasis Non-Profit translates into the adoption of two mobile units (van type car), which with the help of the company made 478 approaches in 18 municipalities of Attica.
Elin's support, does not stop here, but its employees have the opportunity through volunteering to become members of the Emfasis Non-Profit group and reach our fellow human beings through streetwork and work in the field.
Author: Phaedra Mavrogiorgi
Source: esgstories.gr
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