Home is Everything

Janoo is a gay Syrian refugee who has been evicted from his accommodation by the Greek State and NGO's responsible for housing refugees in Greece. Many refugees have been sent back to overcrowded camps or to the streets in the recent EU directed housing evictions. As the camps and streets are extremely racist and homophobic these are life threatening evictions, especially dangerous for LGBTQIA+ refugees. The State and NGOs are not fulfilling their responsibilities to help those most in need so we have no choice but to ask for your help to accommodate Janoo in autonomous housing. We want to house and cover basic living costs until Janoo can cover these himself. Janoo is a wonderful, bright, talented, friendly, caring, young Syrian Chef who will eventually find his way to work and a livable life. But right now he desperately needs your and our help. Please help in any way you can, even a small amount can help us to re-house Janoo.

Background:

The Greek Ministry of Migration Policy, under the auspices of EU budgets and policies as the EU body responsible for the international protection of refugees in Greece, is drastically withdrawing support for refugee housing and integration. The state is terminating desperately needed accommodation without providing realistic integration programs, particularly in terms of employment provisions in a country already eviscerated by economic crisis and mass unemployment. Refugee Support Agean recognizes that the latest mass spate of evictions of recognized refugees from supported accommodation will lead to homelessness and destitution (https://rsaegean.org/en/evictions-of-recognized-re...)

Janoo has been living in a shared flat with other refugees for the past two years. In this time Janoo been learning English and Greek and is gaining experience as a translator at a local school as well as cooking at various events in the city. We are asking for your support to help move Janoo into autonomous housing, so that he may gain access to the national system of social solidarity benefits that are only available to people who can provide a rental agreement document in their own names. As RSA explains, “refugees recognized after 2014 are being excluded from access to this benefit. In addition, the social solidarity benefit (KEA) is granted under specific requirements to those being able to provide a valid rental agreement of a minimum six-month duration or have been given a homelessness certificate by the Municipality social services.” We are asking for six months of support for rent, bills and initial set-up costs so that Janoo does not end up on the street and so that he can move on with his life in a humane way, with security and respect.

What we'll do with the funds:

We are asking for rent assistance and some basic set-up costs for a flat in a local LGBTQIA+ friendly, working-class, immigrant neighborhood in Athens, where most of us live. We need money for the deposit which is one month bond plus one month in advance and rental assistance for six months. Rent is around €300 per month, with bills a minimum of €50 per month and some basic furniture.

Deposit = €300

6 months rent + utilities = €2100

Furniture (fridge, bed, washing machine, cooker) = €550

Who we are:

Janoo is part of the collective “Gender Panic”, a group of people with migrant, diasporan and refugee background based in Athens, Greece.We are a group who come together to create political art, (self)-employment, to amplify our voices and support each other. Our group follows queer-feminist principles of sustainability, recycling and anti-capitalism, as well as solidarity, anti-discrimination and inclusion.