Easter on the street for the homeless in Heraklion: They have “no where to sleep” – Sadness and reflection (pics)

There are four homeless people in the city of Heraklion, according to the latest official figures. But to these have not been added individuals or even families possibly living in abandoned ruins or cars that have been converted into houses and are not easy to locate and record.

Therefore, everyone can realize that the city’s homeless are still more, despite the fact that they seem to have decreased compared to 2018, when they exceeded 50!

Even if for once the gaze of all of us has fallen on the image of a homeless person, as they are people who are among us…

They live daily fighting with danger, exposed to difficult conditions. On the one hand in the cold nights of winter and on the other in the heat of summer, knowing very well the serious health issues that can cause them, as in the case of the homeless 50-year-old Frank from Germany, who lived alone in miserable conditions, who shook his health, to take his last breath in March 2022 in Kornarou Square, in the center of Heraklion!

The four homeless people registered by the Municipality’s services living in the city of Heraklion have chosen this way of life. Despite the efforts of both the Deputy Mayor of Social Policy and the corresponding structures that work for their care and protection, they do not wish to be accommodated or find permanent housing.

However, despite the fact that they have chosen to live on the street and sleep on benches, on cardboard boxes or in some corner, they are human and as our duty we must help them so that they can stay alive.

A helping hand and a lifeline for all these people, in addition to those citizens who help them out of sensitivity and completely voluntarily, are the social structures of the Municipality of Heraklion, which we will analyze in the continuation of our report, which aim to provide them everything: From blankets, clothes, food, medical care, tests, medicines, psychological support, etc., to finding a job, housing or even having their rent covered by the Municipality and through corresponding programs, as this is the case at the moment locally for 48 families. Families who, while on the edge of poverty, managed to reintegrate into society with the “Housing and Work” program, as well as others, who played a decisive role in their survival, as they found both a home and a job and thus can again do dreams. Since then, however, these programs have not “run again”, with those interested eagerly waiting for their re-implementation, as with the precision and poverty that plagues Greek society, they are considered more necessary than ever.

The structures of Social Policy

The Municipality of Heraklion has many structures that support vulnerable groups of citizens, the homeless, the elderly, the disabled, immigrants and the Roma.

Specifically, it has eleven Social Care Centers for the Elderly (KEKOIF-API). These are structures that offer assistance in the daily needs of the beneficiaries. They have social workers, medical staff and nurses. At the same time, eleven “Help at Home” are operating, which offer home help to over 1,000 families who live in our municipality, but do not have a supportive environment.

“We visit these people in their homes and help them with whatever they need. We pay bills, fix their medicine, clean their house. In many cases, daily food is also offered”, said the Deputy Mayor for Social Policy Giorgos Tsagarakis.

Also valuable is the operation of the KDAP AmaA of the Municipality of Heraklion, for children and adults with disabilities, which currently covers the needs of 28 people. However, since from the first moment of its operation there was great interest from people with disabilities, the ambition of the Municipality is for the Center to be able to serve a total of 50 people by the summer. For this reason, medical (speech therapists and psychologists) as well as auxiliary staff are expected to be recruited soon.

Somewhere here comes the contribution of the Community Center, which essentially is the citizen’s first point of contact with the Social Service of each Municipality. From there, the citizen is informed about all the benefits to which he is entitled, all the institutions, services and programs that provide him with social care of any kind. At the same time, at the Community Center, with branches for Roma and Immigrants, the respective populations can turn to more specialized services, which are related to the special problems they face, with the aim of upgrading their standard of living and their full social integration. In fact, as Mr. Tsagarakis pointed out, more than 3,000 families have been helped by this particular Center.

At the same time, structures such as the Social Pharmacy, through which medicines are provided to people in need, are also important. And at the same time the 4th TOMY, the Municipal Clinic, which has 4 doctors. Every day thousands of people are served by it and it works, as Mr. Tsagarakis pointed out, “exemplary”.

Of course, it should be noted that a structure that we have all touched with great sensitivity, and which plays a decisive role in the needs of society today, is the “Women’s Hostel”.

With a voucher, help from the Social Grocery Store

Always meeting the needs and upgrading the service of the beneficiaries, the Social Grocery, as the deputy mayor for Social Policy Giorgos Tsagarakis informed us, is changing its mode of operation. Specifically, as Mr. Tsagarakis said, “we will no longer see queues of beneficiaries forming outside the structure, waiting to receive the coveted bag of food”, which may stigmatize them and bring them down psychologically. With the aim of these people living with dignity, “these people will now be given the opportunity to be served through vouchers and in collaboration with the contractor who will win the tender”, as Mr. Tsagarakis said.

At the same time and ahead of the Easter holidays, the Deputy Mayor of Social Policy and in collaboration with the relevant services and organizations will distribute 621 portions of meat to beneficiaries who cannot buy it and need it so that they too can celebrate.

However, with the precision and poverty never ending, plaguing Greek society, and with the view that “7% of our population lives at poverty levels, and this is a huge percentage”, as noted by Mr. Tsagarakis, ” the needs never stop. On the contrary, they are constantly increasing.”

But at the same time, there is also a great need to man the social structures, which all these years have been performing a great social work, with additional human resources, so that they can function smoothly and cover the ever-increasing social needs.

SORROW AND PROBLEM

They have no “where the head bed”

At this point let’s recall some recent stories of homeless people that troubled the society of the city of Heraklion:

* 50-year-old Frank – The homeless man who died in Kornaros square: Tragic was the story and also the fate of Frank from Germany, who died in March 2022, alone at the edge of Kornaros square in Heraklion, far from the country who was born… He had appeared in Kornarou square in the last months, shortly before he died. There he spent his days, there also his nights. Sometimes with cardboard boxes and sometimes without, only with some coverings or clothes that were occasionally given to him by citizens and services.

He had been known in recent months to shopkeepers and social services. Some days he disappeared and then came back again… His health was shaky, although he was only 50 years old. He was German, but no relatives, not even his own people, were found in Germany.

His case had concerned the Municipality of Heraklion, the prosecutor, KETHEA, and even the EKAV. The relevant agencies had approached him several times to help him, but he always refused. It was very cold in those March days just before he died, but he remained in his corner of the square, next to the old underground bins, beyond the statue of Arethusa and Erotokritos.

Suddenly, a photo of a homeless man arrived at the offices of the newspaper “Nea Kriti” from an aware citizen, asking that this case be publicized in order to find a solution. This photo was to be the last. Unfortunately, not much time passed and then it became known that EKAV was notified to pick up an unconscious man from Kornarou Square. A little later it became known that it was the “known” homeless man of the area. It was 50-year-old Frank, who passed away, alone on a very cold day. He lived alone in wretched conditions, which shook his health, and fought a lifetime with his demons.

* A homeless man sleeping on the pavement of Eleftheria Square: A few days ago, the image of a homeless man sleeping on the pavement of Eleftheria Square brought to light the story of a couple who came to work in Crete. But he did not manage to find a job, so he was left penniless to sleep on the streets of Heraklion, looking for money for a double ferry ticket, in order to return to their home in Athens. Their adventure, of course, thanks to the solidarity of the world, came to an end when the money was found and they managed to return home. But unfortunately, not all cases have a happy ending…

* Homeless man in Neoria, in the port of Heraklion: Another homeless man had for quite some time found shelter under Neoria on the beach of Heraklion, opposite the offices of OLI. This man has set up his “home” under an arch. It is not the only case, since we often see people sleeping on benches, in parks, in Karavolas and in other parts of the city. People who once had a home, money, job, family, friends and relatives, but in an instant they lost everything. With poverty knocking at their door, they were never able to get back on their feet. They are fighting their demons, and they need all of us…

George Tsagarakis

“The Municipality pays rent to 48 families”

The contribution of these programs as well as the efforts of the Municipality to support the homeless and vulnerable groups is analyzed below by the Deputy Mayor for Social Policy Giorgos Tsagarakis.

Specifically, as he emphasizes, “the Municipality is currently paying a total of rents to 48 families who belonged to the vulnerable groups until now. But they joined these programs and thus the number of homeless has decreased a lot in recent years. That is why we do not now have a serious problem in our Municipality. At the same time, they are provided with help for the electrical appliances with which they will set up their home, while our goal is for these people to find work. These programs played an important role for this and we all expect them to “run again”.

Referring, however, to the four registered homeless people of the city of Heraklion, Mr. Tsagarakis said that “we know these people and we make sure to approach them at very regular intervals. We try to help them. The help we provide them is specific, as they don’t want anything more. They refuse. We always help them when needed and have everything they need.”