ABSTRACT
In Greece, as indeed in other Mediterranean countries, homelessness as a social problem has become apparent quite recently. Greece has generally followed the pattern of other southern European countries in that social welfare – housing being an important aspect of it – has tended to be primarily a responsibility of the family rather than the state. The phenomenon of homeless people wandering around or sleeping in the streets in big cities is fairly new. The threat – or reality – of homelessness and substandard housing is becoming increasingly pressing. Provision of housing for the poor in Greece, has been minimal. There are a number of different services offering emergency as well as longer-term accommodation and support to homeless people. In Greece, local authorities were never empowered to take on an active role in relation to issues arising in their territory, let alone to launch programmes aiming to combat specific social problems.
