Apartment block to house needy families

The City of Athens took the next step in its social housing program on Tuesday when Mayor Giorgos Kaminis opened a new apartment block that will house eight families at risk of being made homeless.

The building, or House of Hope as it is known, is located in Neos Cosmos, near the city center. It has eight apartments that have been fully furnished thanks to a donation from Procter & Gamble.

The families that will move in to the new building have already been chosen. They will be allowed to stay there for six months plus another six if they are unable to move on at that point.

“We do not want to just provide a home for more families but to create the conditions for them to return to normality,” said Kaminis, who added that the municipality’s role would only be complete when the residents at the House of Hope are able to find jobs and earn enough money to rent their own properties.

The Neos Cosmos building is the second social housing project run by the City of Athens. The first, on Bouboulinas Street in downtown Athens, currently houses 50 people.

Kaminis indicated that the municipality would like to expand the project in a bid to keep down homelessness. He also suggested that he has received proposals from Athenians who are willing to offer their homes for this purpose if the municipality helps cover the cost of its upkeep.