68-year-old B. came to Greece from Bulgaria a few years ago, seeking better living conditions, as his financial situation imposed a very difficult life on him. He lived and worked for a long time in a rural area of Central Macedonia, until 2021, when, unable to cope with the difficulties of labour due to his age, he found himself unemployed. Without support from his family environment, as his close relatives remain in Bulgaria while he is unmarried, he spent a long time living in a state of asterism, before he turned to a shelter of the municipality of Thessaloniki for help.
Having little money, coming from a disability pension from Bulgaria and the Social Solidarity Income, he was unable to meet the financial requirements, prolonging his stay in the municipal shelter, while for his medical care, B. regularly visited the MdM Polyclinic in Thessaloniki. 8 months later, after the maximum period of his stay in the municipality’s dormitory had expired and he was once again faced with living on the street, the social service of the Polyclinic took over and referred Mr B. to the MdM Night Shelter for the Homeless in the municipality of Athens.
From the beginning of his stay at the Night Shelter for the Homeless, B. was supported by the social service to take care of pending bureaucratic procedures, such as the renewal of his solidarity allowance, and was accompanied by the medical services of the MdM Open Polyclinic for his health issues due to his age. The regular monitoring of B.’s health and the psychosocial support he receives from MdM, contributed decisively to the empowerment and overcoming of the challenges that a vulnerable elderly person has to deal with, so that B. is optimistic about the future, looking forward to being able to “get back on his feet again soon”, as he says.
The Doctors of the World Shelter for the Homeless in Platonos Academy Sq, is co-funded by the Regional Operational Programme of Attica.
