Mazí housing project
Mazí, meaning together in Greek, speaks to the sense of community and support that we aim to foster with this housing project.
We are a housing project based in Athens that offers accommodation (including food, utilities and all other basic necessities) as well as welfare support to six young displaced men who were previously homeless. We have one flat which has been open since April 2019 and we aim to expand in order to run two flats in May 2020 housing 12 individuals. Residents live in safe, spacious housing that gives opportunity for and connections to legal support, psychosocial support, education and employment opportunities. Our aim is to support residents to become independent and overcome the barriers of social exclusion as well as being a stepping stone that gives residents time, opportunity and resources to move on to the next chapter in their lives.
One of the biggest gaps in service provision in Athens is accommodation for displaced young single men. Young men on their own in Greece are ignored, dismissed and deprived of the opportunity to become independent by a system that says that young men are not vulnerable enough to be supported, and in turn they are exposed to crime, violence, drug abuse and exploitation whilst living on the streets. A safe, secure house can provide protection not only from these dangers but also give these men the opportunity to be able to access vital services including non-emergency health care, registered employment, financial support, public education as well as building their autonomy.
Mazi Housing project was formed in 2018 by a group of independent volunteers from various grassroots organisations in Athens working with asylum seekers and refugees. The creation of Mazi was the result of the connections we made with other organisations and individuals and the experience, knowledge and support we drew from them. We are now a team of four with experience of accommodation provision, legal support, social work, project management and psychology. We have all seen again and again how people suffer due to the huge lack of accommodation in Athens and we know we cannot wait for an inadequate system to change. Everyone has a right to housing, and Mazi is one small step towards this.
