In the birthplace of democracy, near the Acropolis in
The jobless tenants forage for food in the city
by day; they're back on Fillopapou hill at night, better in a cave than on the
street, they say.
Georgia Maϊmanoglou has a shack. She's 66. She used to work
as a cleaner. She told us she just wants a room for her and her companion, if
she finds a job again.
"I got food from the rubbish at the market
today. I am not the first or last to live like this. Whole families do."
Mathaios Monselas was in a cave near the Prison
of Socrates but left because of the rats. Now he's got a tent. He's well-known
in Greece , for serving 12 years in prison for murder with
the victim's consent. He's 58.
Monselas said: "In a cave you're sheltered
from the cold. It's better than living on a bench or on the street. But it's
still a miserable side of life."
NGO Klimaka estimates there are about 20,000
homeless Greeks, mostly in Athens - far more than the official figure. Klimaka
says nearly half the homeless have children and one in every five has a degree.