The 77-year-old Ms. D. became homeless in Omonia along with her two companion animals after being evicted. She is now in a desperate situation, as she has neither been accepted into a homeless shelter nor offered an alternative solution by the relevant authorities.
At the age of 77, Ms. D. is living on the streets in the Omonia area with her two dogs. Beside her are a few personal belongings, some bedding, and the two animals that have remained by her side.
According to her testimony, she was evicted from the home where she had been living after falling behind on just three months' rent.
Even before becoming homeless, she was already facing serious health issues. She has partial vision loss due to cataracts and suffers from respiratory problems. Her impaired eyesight makes even the simplest daily activities difficult, including using her mobile phone.
Emfasis Non-Profit, an NGO working on homelessness that has been monitoring her case daily, describes her condition as critical and stresses that she urgently requires medical assessment and access to safe accommodation.
Living on the streets gradually causes both physical and psychological deterioration. In Ms. D.'s case, her weight loss is already noticeable, while the lack of access to toilets and running water further undermines her health every day.
The first days of homelessness are not simply a change of location; they involve the loss of personal space, safety, and control over one's daily life.
Emfasis describes the initial days and weeks of homelessness as a "violent transitional shock," during which losing one's home is often experienced as losing one's identity.
"From the very beginning, Ms. D. entered an acute survival state. The dominant characteristic is chronic hypervigilance. A person living on the street can never truly relax. The brain interprets every environmental stimulus as a potential threat. This constant inability to obtain quality sleep results in profound psychological exhaustion and a persistent sense of insecurity," the organization explains.
Beyond the psychological impact, losing documents, medication, or personal belongings can trap someone in a maze of bureaucratic obstacles, making it even harder to access welfare benefits, healthcare, or housing programmes.
The streets around Omonia are particularly dangerous at night, especially for an elderly homeless woman with limited vision.
Residents of the area confirmed to To Vima that the neighbourhood surrounding the National Theatre is heavily affected by drug use.
Ms. D. experiences these dangers every day.
"It's terrible here. People are constantly passing by, especially at night. They ask me for drugs, shout at me, or bother my dogs. They fight, they use drugs. It's awful. Someone could kill me at any moment," she told To Vima.
Street outreach workers with many years of experience note that:
"The only thing protecting her is her dogs."
Finding accommodation for Ms. D. in a public homeless shelter has become particularly complicated because of her dogs.
According to the Municipality of Athens, homeless shelters do not generally accept companion animals.
However, the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family provided a different interpretation. Following communication with the Office of the Secretary General for Demographic and Housing Policy, the Ministry stated:
"There is no explicit legal prohibition against accommodating companion animals in homeless shelters. However, the current legal framework does not establish specific services or uniform standards for their care within these facilities. Consequently, each case is assessed individually, depending on the available infrastructure and the operating regulations of each shelter."
Ms. D. insists:
"I want my dogs with me. They are my life. I cannot live without them."
Maria Karra, Co-Founder of Emfasis, emphasises the importance of companion animals for people experiencing homelessness, explaining that:
"They are often a person's primary support system, providing safety, purpose, and unconditional acceptance."
Recognising this emotional bond, particularly under conditions of extreme vulnerability, the Ministry further stated:
"When it is assessed that separation from a companion animal could seriously affect the person's mental health, every effort is made, in cooperation with the competent ministries and relevant authorities, to identify the most appropriate solution."
Mina Fountzoula, Deputy Mayor for Social Solidarity and Urban Fauna & Animal Welfare, stated that the municipality is aware of the case and is working to resolve it. She claimed that municipal staff visit Ms. D. twice daily.
Ms. D. disputes this account, saying she has only been visited two or three times in total.
"They told me they would bring clothes and shoes, but they never did. Nobody came back."
A member of the Municipality's Street Outreach Team explained that Ms. D. had been offered accommodation at the Multifunctional Homeless Centre, while her dogs could stay at the Municipality's animal shelter, Sokratis. She would supposedly be able to visit them every day and take them for walks.
However, the shelter is approximately 44 minutes away on foot (or around 10 minutes by car) from the homeless centre, raising serious concerns about how a partially sighted 77-year-old woman could realistically make that journey.
According to the opposition within the Athens Municipal Council, cases like Ms. D.'s require coordinated case management with a designated social worker responsible for overseeing the entire intervention.
Sociologist Fotini Leobilla, advisor to the opposition group Athens Psila, argues that the first response should include a comprehensive assessment of Ms. D.'s medical, social, and practical needs, followed by an individualized support plan.
"The municipality's social services have an obligation to engage with this case. Someone must coordinate it properly. It may exceed the municipality's capacities, but every possible solution must be explored."
She also called for more temporary accommodation facilities, stronger social services, and better coordination between local government and national ministries.
"The priority should be to ensure that no person—and no human need—is lost within the system or passed from one service to another."
The General Secretariat for Demographic and Housing Policy clarified that responsibility for identifying, approaching, and providing immediate support to people experiencing homelessness primarily lies with the relevant municipality.
At the same time, the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family stated that it plays a coordinating role, working closely with municipal social services to identify the most appropriate solution for each individual case.
Regarding Ms. D., the Ministry committed that, after assessing the facts, it would take all necessary initiatives within its remit to coordinate with the relevant authorities.
The goal is to bring together municipal services, healthcare providers, social welfare agencies, OPEKA, and animal welfare organisations in order to develop a comprehensive and sustainable solution for both Ms. D. and her companion animals.
However, the Ministry acknowledged that there is no standard timeframe for moving a homeless person into accommodation, as this depends on the individual's needs, the availability of appropriate housing, and the eligibility criteria of different programmes.
For someone already living on the street, however, time is critical. According to NGOs working in homelessness, every additional night without safe shelter significantly worsens both physical and mental health.
Ms. D.'s case exposes the limitations of a system that functions more effectively for people who can fit within its requirements than for those with multiple, complex needs.
Emfasis refers to "major institutional gaps," particularly when homelessness intersects with serious health problems, reduced autonomy, and companion animals.
Government officials reportedly acknowledged these systemic shortcomings during informal discussions.
For Ms. D., the request remains painfully simple:
"I just want a home. I want to live like a human being again."
Enter your email to be the first to hear our news!
.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
