“Housing” in Abandoned Buildings and the Urgent Need for Housing First Solutions

The tragic fire in an abandoned shop in central Thessaloniki, which cost the life of a person residing there, is not an isolated incident. It is yet another reminder that homelessness is not just what we see on the street. It is also what we — collectively — choose not to see.

Living in abandoned, unsuitable, or dangerous buildings is one of the most underestimated yet hazardous forms of homelessness. According to the ETHOS typology of FEANTSA, such cases clearly fall under the definitions of homelessness and housing exclusion. These are not “temporary housing solutions”; they are conditions that put human lives at immediate risk.

Why Greece needs Housing First — now.

Homelessness is not only a social problem; it is a structural failure of the policies in place. Living in abandoned buildings is among the clearest manifestations of this failure.

The Housing First methodology — in which I am currently being trained as a trainer by the Housing First Europe Hub — is an approach that provides immediate and unconditional permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, especially those with complex needs. It is grounded in the principle that housing is a human right and not something that must be “earned.” The individual is the rightful tenant of their home, with no obligations to undergo treatment or change behavior. Support is always available — individualized and ongoing — but never mandatory.

Housing First is the most innovative methodology for addressing homelessness in the past 40 years, with a proven success rate of over 70% in the US, Canada, and across several European countries where it has been implemented.

From “invisible” survival to dignified living

At Emfasis Non-Profit, we face daily cases of people living in dangerous, unsuitable buildings. People without access to services, without options. People rendered “invisible” at every level of the system.

Our field experience, combined with our ongoing international training as an organization, reinforces our stance: Greece needs organized, institutionally supported, individualized Housing First interventions.

Safe and dignified housing is not a luxury. It is a human right.

And to defend it, we must first see — and acknowledge — what has long remained in the shadows.

Vaggelis Lygnos, Head of Operations