90-year-old grandmother forced to sleep on the streets of Athens in nothing but a bathrobe

A 90-year-old yiayia (grandmother) who was evicted from her home in Athens after she couldn't afford to pay her rent, last week spent two nights on the street, out in the cold autumn air.

She was living with her grandson who lost his job due to the covid-19 pandemic, in the suburb of Agios Dimitrios, just south of Athens. They were four months behind on rent and owed the landlord 1,200 euros (approx. $2,003). The grandson managed to find a day's work here and there during the first wave, but the wages were barely enough to cover food costs.

Last week, a bailiff appeared at their home and locked them both out, prohibiting them from taking any belongings or basic necessities. The elderly lady was forced to leave her home wearing merely a house robe.

As neighbours got wind of the situation, they alerted the organisation Doctors of the World (Médecins du Monde Greece) to the predicament of the elderly Greek citizen.

The organization promptly offered a dormitory for the lady and her grandson to be housed temporarily. However there was a catch, the grandmother's beloved pet dog was not allowed into the dormitory. She refused to be separated from her loyal companion, and as a result, refused entry into the hostel.

“When we told them that the dog could not be accommodated in the dormitory, they told us that they would not go anywhere without the animal. They preferred to spend two days on the street with the dog until we found a hostel for the animal. When we told them that the dog would be hosted in a hostel, then they agreed to come to the Doctors of the World dormitory,” Eugenia Thanou, director of Doctors of the World, told Ethnos.

“Grandmother and grandson are very close to each other. The grandmother is sad for the grandson and the grandson is anxious for the grandmother,” Thanou stressed.

While the grandson is trying hard to get another job amid the second wave of Covid-19 in Europe, the Doctors of the World group is seeking to find a permanent home for the 90-year-old woman and her grandson.

For more information on how you can assist with this case, please visit the Doctors of the World here. More details to come.