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A wide range of experts have contributed to the creation of the learning materials for this Citizens’ Dialogue. Researchers, academics, policy advisors, and representatives of organisations defending the right to housing have come on board, offering valuable knowledge and diverse perspectives on Europe’s complex housing challenges.

Below you will find the list of materials, organised alphabetically by contributor. We warmly thank all experts for their generous collaboration and insights.

Michalis Goudis

Director, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Thessaloniki Office - Greece 

Interview with M. Goudis on "Tackling housing challenges: Local actors and a just transition

Expert profile:

Michalis Goudis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. His Journalism and Mass Communication studies at Aristotle University were followed up by Radio & Data Journalism training at LfM in Düsseldorf and at DJS in Munich.

As a journalist in Greece, he has reported, published and broadcasted for several magazines, online media and radio stations, while freelancing- especially at peak of the Eurozone crisis- for numerous European Media, including among others DIE ZEIT, ZDF, Songlines and Nieuwsuur.

Moving to Brussels, after a valuable learning experience at the Press Unit of the European Parliament, starting in July 2013 and over a period of 7 years he’s been leading the communications work of Housing Europe, while being actively involved in the International Social Housing Festival.

In the meantime, his persistent interest in cities gave a twist to his professional and educational path with a Master’s degree in Human Geography & Spatial Planning.

Summer 2020 includes an exciting professional turning point that brings him back to his hometown to head the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Office in Greece with its talented team working closely with a wide range of partners on democracy, ecology and social solidarity economy.

about.me/michalis.goudis

Contact: Michalis.Goudis[at]gr.boell.org

Ithaca Laundry Non Profit Organisation

Ithaca supports the homeless and vulnerable population by improving their daily living conditions and ensuring their long-term and holistic reintegration. 

Article “Housing Inequality and “Housing & Employment” Program in Greece”

Expert profile:

Ithaca, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2015 operating the first Μobile Laundry Unit in Europe for homeless and vulnerable groups, with the main objective of reintegrating them and reducing their social exclusion. Through these years our services have developed around 3 main pillars of action which have been shaped aiming at the holistic approach and integration of the people we support. 

1. Hygiene and immediate relief services: Our first service began by providing hygiene services and improving the daily living conditions of the homeless population through the Mobile Laundry Unit. Meanwhile, since the outbreak of the pandemic, we have taken over the operation and management of the laundry facilities of the Integrated Homeless Center in Municipality of Athens.

2. Reintegration Services: At Ithaca from the beginning, we play an active role in the work reintegration of vulnerable people, offering job positions within the organization itself. In addition to their employment, we support people by providing psychosocial support and job counseling with the aim of fully integrating them into the labor market within 12 months. In addition, we provide psychosocial support on the street alongside the action of the mobile unit, and in the last 3 years we also carry out job counseling for vulnerable groups, adopting a holistic support model.

3. Awareness-raising services: In recent years we have tried intensively to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of vulnerable groups we serve, through working groups, information campaigns, volunteer activities, and since 2023 we are a member of the Board of Directors in the Greek Housing Network.

To date, through all the above actions we have supported, in total, more than 12.000 people, and it is very important that 105 people have reintegrated into the labor market.

Dr Maria Karagianni

Researcher in Urban and Human Geography, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

Article: “Alternative & Innovative Affordable Housing Models in Europe”

Expert profile:

Dr Maria Karagianni is an urban planner and housing researcher based in Thessaloniki. She works as a Cohousing and Affordable Housing Expert at the Major Development Agency of Thessaloniki (MDAT S.A.) and as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Housing and Urban Development at the School of Architecture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Her work focuses on the right to housing, housing struggles, and innovative models of social, cooperative, and affordable housing in Greece and across Europe. She has collaborated with municipalities, NGOs and European networks to design policies and pilot projects addressing vacancy, energy poverty and housing precarity. Maria holds a PhD in Urban Planning and Geography and an MA in Architecture from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, as well as an MSc in Global Urban Development and Planning from the University of Manchester. She is also a member of the editorial collective of the Radical Housing Journal.

Maria Karra

Co-Founder Emfasis Non-Profit, Board Member of the Greek Housing Network, FEANTSA AC Member

Video: “How Europe understands and tackles housing insecurity through the Ethos approach” 

Expert profile:

Maria Karra is a dedicated advocate for the right to safe and affordable housing for all. She has over 30 years of corporate experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. During this time, she also contributed significantly to regional non-profit initiatives supporting vulnerable communities experiencing or threatened by housing deprivation. Her involvement includes work with the Pistorio Foundation, Tsunami Reconstruction efforts in Thailand, Bali Kids street children initiative, the Society of Special Children of Ampang, Caring for Cambodia and others, establishing her as a committed supporter of housing stability for marginalized groups.

In 2013, Maria co-founded Emfasis, a Greek non-profit organization that currently supports over 3,000 individuals facing imminent homelessness and spearheading initiatives that tackle the impact of climate change on vulnerable housing and homelessness. Her work focuses on advancing advocacy, influencing policy change, and promoting inclusive and innovative solutions to combat homelessness andsecure shelter for vulnerable populations.

Maria is currently a member of the Administrative Council of FEANTSA (the European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless) representing Greece. She also collaborates closely with the Housing First Europe Hub, advocating for social reforms and sustainable housing strategies that address systemic barriers. 

A TEDx speaker and regular panelist at prominent conferences and discussions, Maria’s ongoing commitment to homelessness issues reflects her tireless dedication to creating equitable and lasting solutions for at-risk communities.

Aggeliki Mitropoulou

Research Associate at the ENA Institute for Alternative Policies

Video: “The impact of tourism and investment schemes on ousing access and affordability”

Expert profile:

Angeliki Mitropoulou is a PhD candidate at the Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, focusing on islandness, sustainable development, and place branding. She holds two Master’s degrees — in Human Resource Management and International Economic Relations — from Cardiff University, Wales, and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Communication from the Athens University of Economics and Business. She has worked in both the private and public sectors in research, consulting, and project management roles, focusing on island policy, tourism, sustainability, and public policy. She also collaborates with universities, research institutes, European centres, and think tanks. She has edited a collective volume on tourism in Greece and published articles in international peer-reviewed journals, while regularly writing opinion pieces on social and cultural issues.

Ilias Nikolaidis

Content Director, diaNEOsis Research and Policy Institute.

Interview: “Roots of the housing crisis and broader strategies for making housing fairer and more sustainable”

Expert profile

Ilias Nikolaidis is a journalist based in Athens, whose work has appeared in major national and international media. Since 2016, he has worked for the independent, non-profit think-tank diaNEOsis as a senior editor and content director, responsible for the publication and dissemination of research findings, corresponding policy recommendations and articles.

Dr Eva Papatzani

Postdoctoral Researcher in Social Geography and Migration Studies, Research Associate at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE), Athens, Greece

Article: “From reception and accommodation policies to refugees’ settlement? Between control, displacement, and practices of sociospatial belonging”

Expert profile:

Eva (Evangelia) Papatzani is a postdoctoral researcher, holding a PhD in Urban Studies/Social Geography and Migration Studies, from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. She has extensive experience of coordinating and implementing international and national research projects at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) in Athens, the University of Virginia (UVA) in the USA, the School of Spatial Planning and Development (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), and the Department of Geography (University of the Aegean), among others. She recently served as an Adjunct Professor of sociology of space at the School of Architecture, Technical University of Crete. She has received scholarships and competitive research funding, and published in international academic journals. Her research interests include the geographies of migrant and refugee settlement, displacement, urban encounters with difference, interethnic relationships and micro-segregation, institutional and everyday racism, gendered geographies, housing and urban policies, touristification, and urban transformations. 

Dr Dimitra Siatitsa

PhD in Urban Planning, Postdoctoral Researcher National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) / National Centre for Social Research (NCSR)

Articles:

“The Housing Problem in the European Union and Greece: Key Dimensions and Policy Responses”

“Come HoMe Policy Recommendations: Understanding and Combatting Intersectional discrimination in Housing for people with Migratory background”

Expert profile:

Dimitra Siatitsa is a postdoctoral researcher on urban and housing studies (NTUA/EKKE). She holds a PhD from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (NTUA), a master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Culture (FPC-UPC), and a diploma in Architecture (NTUA). Her research focuses on housing justice, socio-spatial inequalities, sustainable urban development, public policies, alternative initiatives and social movements, with an emphasis on Southern Europe. She has collaborated as a consultant in the design of housing and social policies at both local and central government levels. She is a founding member of CoHab (research and action group on cooperative housing), a member of INURA, and part of the coordination committee of the ENHR Working Group on Housing in Southern Europe.