Ithaca Laundry is a non-profit organization that washes homeless peoples' clothes. Homeless to Ithaca, is the person that lives on the street or doesn't have a proper household, such as refugee shelters. It was founded by Thanos Spiliopoulos, who holds a Bachelor Degree in Management Science and Technology from the Athens University of Economics and Business.
During the last seven years, homeless peoples' number has risen dramatically in Greece, because of the ongoing austerity. Municipality and state structures aren't enough to help all these people in whom many immigrants and refugees had been added, because of the war in Syria and the general condition in the Middle East.
Ithaca uses a van in order to move around the city of Athens and washes the clothes of people on-site. They wash them in two washing machines and then dry them in another two dryers, all installed in the van. They operate 6 days per week, in different parts of the city. They employ one former beneficiary of the service, a former homeless. They believe in helping people in need, so they do it also by employ them. They also believe that clean clothes is about dignity, so they try to offer dignity to people in need.
During the last seven years, homeless peoples' number has risen dramatically in Greece, because of the ongoing austerity. Municipality and state structures aren't enough to help all these people in whom many immigrants and refugees had been added, because of the war in Syria and the general condition in the Middle East.
Ithaca uses a van in order to move around the city of Athens and washes the clothes of people on-site. They wash them in two washing machines and then dry them in another two dryers, all installed in the van. They operate 6 days per week, in different parts of the city. They employ one former beneficiary of the service, a former homeless. They believe in helping people in need, so they do it also by employ them. They also believe that clean clothes is about dignity, so they try to offer dignity to people in need.
