What We Do
MazĂ Housing breaks the cycle of homelessness, providing housing and support to deprioritised asylum seekers and refugees. Our approach affords every resident the stability and opportunities they need to build their own route out of an unstable situation: everything we do is aimed at an individual’s self-reliance.
Over 55% of asylum seekers in Greece are male (AIDA, 2022), yet there is a near-absence of support for adult, solo men. They are bottom of the list for all basic services.
There are also limited state interventions or support for people who find themselves homeless in Greece. In these instances, existing social and familial networks are all someone has to rely on to emerge from the situation. Those new to the country do not have this network. For Non-European arrivals, in particular asylum-seeking or refugee men, it can be very hard to build such a network.
MazĂ is a platform: since 2020 we have been a placeholder for this network for adult asylum seeking and refugee men who are alone in the country.
Community-Based Housing
MazĂ’s housing first model breaks the cycle of homelessness. The way it is delivered facilitates independence from aid providers in the future.
The housing manager creates spaces which are stable and safe. Physically, through maintenance of the apartments. And socially, by facilitating social connection and environments of mutual support.
The weekly house meeting is a moment when all residents come together to speak about concerns or design systems to clean or cook in-house. Practically, this leads to residents becoming the support networks that solo people may not have in a foreign country. Being – feeling – part of a community is key to self-reliance, strong mental health, resilience and happiness.
Person-Centred Casework
Each resident is in a different stage of his process in Greece, and in a different stage of his own life. Accordingly, each resident has their own journey at MazĂ.
This person-centred support is the role of our caseworker.
They guide monthly casework meetings which are a one-to-one space to discuss personal challenges or set goals for the future: including education, employment, healthcare, legal status. Decisions taken about a resident’s casework are taken by them in collaboration with the caseworker, including referrals to specialised support.
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