{"id":23416,"date":"2025-05-06T13:41:26","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T10:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/?p=23416"},"modified":"2025-05-06T13:45:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T10:45:28","slug":"homelessness-is-much-deeper-than-the-absence-of-a-roof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/homelessness-is-much-deeper-than-the-absence-of-a-roof\/","title":{"rendered":"Homelessness is much deeper than the absence of a roof: Daria\u2019s story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Daria, a volunteer at Ithaca<\/strong><\/a>, reminds us that homelessness is much deeper than the absence of a roof\u2014it’s a cycle of social exclusion that requires empathy and action to break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning with purpose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Daria didn\u2019t come to Greece for a holiday. She returned with a deep desire to contribute meaningfully, to stand beside people experiencing homelessness and social exclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI really love Greece. I love Greece, Cyprus, the people, the culture, the religion, the way of life, the atmosphere. It’s a unique city in the world and you can see that through the people, the buildings, the environment. The atmosphere here is amazing. I\u2019ve always wanted to volunteer. I like helping people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Her connection with the country and her drive to contribute led her to a meaningful journey of volunteering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis is something very important to me \u2014 to make a difference in people’s lives in any way I can. I wanted to start somewhere. And Greece feels familiar to me, because I\u2019ve been here before. I have friends here, and I really wanted to come back \u2014 but not just for a vacation. This time, I wanted to return and do something meaningful. Because I had already seen\u2026 people on the streets, I had seen things going wrong or problems in the city. I was searching online and somehow found this program and felt a strong urge to apply and come back. And it was an amazing decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Seeing beyond appearances<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Her engagement with homelessness was no coincidence. Daria had already witnessed social exclusion up close through her work in Australian prisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a very interesting story. Before I moved to Dubai, I worked in prisons in Australia. I\u2019ve seen the system. I\u2019ve heard stories from people who unfortunately ended up on the streets or came from families that didn\u2019t have the basics, or the right information or education to continue their lives properly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That experience showed her that homelessness isn\u2019t just about the absence of a home, but part of a vicious cycle of exclusion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt continued with their children, their siblings, and they got stuck in this cycle. I heard their stories, they opened up to me, and I saw the system from the inside. It\u2019s something that when you see it, you say \u2018why are they there?\u2019 But when you start listening and understanding their stories, you see that it\u2019s something much deeper than just being homeless.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Human worth beyond labels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Daria reminds us that everyone deserves a second chance, regardless of their social status:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s hard to change\u2026 to learn something new, especially when no one ever showed you. And this is something I\u2019m very passionate about, because I believe everyone deserves a second chance. At the end of the day, whether you’re homeless, or have a huge villa by the sea or private jets \u2014 I don\u2019t care. I live in Dubai, I\u2019ve seen it all. But at the end of the day, we\u2019re all human.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The power of presence and care<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Daria doesn\u2019t stop at offering material help \u2014 she believes in the power of human connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSome of the most wonderful people I\u2019ve met were homeless or had difficult childhoods. And it takes courage, it takes strength to make that change in their lives. So if I can offer some information or help, or just be present \u2014 even without speaking \u2014 just to show positivity, to show that someone cares. Many don\u2019t know this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThey think that because they\u2019re homeless or on the street, no one cares, or people look at them differently. But that\u2019s not true. There are people who care and want to make a difference. And this is something I\u2019m very, very passionate about.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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A message of hope<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the end, Daria shares a powerful message for all:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI would say the message is: give people a chance. And people who are homeless right now need to give themselves a chance. Giving up is not an option. At the end of the day, we can all hit rock bottom, but there\u2019s always growth, always improvement. Whether we like it or not, it happens. But it\u2019s a choice if we want that change. And there are people who want to help.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAnd for those who want to volunteer to help people experiencing homelessness, I highly encourage it. The things you see on the streets and are afraid to approach open up a new world for you and make you truly appreciate what you have in life. And every big problem suddenly feels small. Do you know what I mean? It\u2019s amazing. It humbles you. It opens your eyes to a bigger picture of this world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAnd I think that\u2019s beautiful, because it really changes your mindset and your life. And just by helping people \u2014 whether they\u2019re homeless or not \u2014 it will always have a big impact on your life and you\u2019ll feel great afterward. So I highly recommend it to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Learn more & stay connected<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Daria reminds us that homelessness is not just a social issue, but a human reality that demands empathy, understanding, and collective action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Ithaca, we work every day to support people facing housing insecurity, offering practical assistance, access to services, and\u2014above all\u2014dignity and respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc8c Stay informed about our work<\/a><\/strong>
Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to learn about our actions and upcoming initiatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Daria, a volunteer at Ithaca, reminds us that homelessness is much deeper than the absence of a roof\u2014it’s a cycle of social exclusion that requires empathy and action to break. Returning with purpose Daria didn\u2019t come to Greece for a holiday. She returned with a deep desire to contribute meaningfully, to stand beside people experiencing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[331],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-volunteering","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23416"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23419,"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23416\/revisions\/23419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ithacalaundry.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}