Hostel House

Hostel House of Open Hospitality (H-O-H)

In 1995, a three-storey building, the “House of Open Hospitality” was purchased and renovated in the heart of the city, with a multimodal character and without any state subsidy. This hostel has rooms fully equipped to accommodate unmarried mothers, abused women and children. Also, since the beginning of 2014, homeless people from Drama, as well as female students from families in need are accommodated. The aim was to create a space that would embrace the people hosted and manage to close the wounds of the past. These vulnerable groups are accommodated with safety, as their identity is not revealed and there is strict confidentiality in any given situation. For more effective treatment of beneficiaries who are members of the local community, the Ladies Union collaborates with hostels of organizations in other cities. In addition, periodic monitoring is carried out after the end of the stay where it is necessary.

Services H-O-H

• Temporary accommodation
• Food
• Clothing
• Medical care
• Legal support
• Vocational training
• Psychological support/voluntary
• Support from a child psychologist
• Finding a job to develop skills and independence
• Socialization

Additional Services

Due to the multi-modal nature of these women the following actions take place:

• Courses of painting, hagiography, cutting sewing – machine embroidery, jewelry,
• Courses of arts and crafts.
• Psychological support groups
• Seminars on a variety of subjects
• Support courses for children wishing to enter university

Internal Regulation of Hostel Operation

Based on the minutes of the General Assembly NO 33/27.1.2016 approving the by-laws, the first two articles of the by-laws are the following:

Context of the Principles

In 1993, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration against Violence against Women. Article {1} of this declaration defines “violence against women” as “any act of gender-based violence that results or may result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to a woman, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty in public or private life”.

The gender dimension in personalized counseling takes gender into account in order to better understand the difficulties and problems arising from it, contributing in the fullest possible way to empowering and supporting women.

The Hostel “House Of Open Hospitality”, a three-storey building, with six fully equipped rooms, is able to accommodate women victims of gender violence, unmarried mothers, abused women with underage children, female students of destitute families and homeless citizens of the Prefecture of Drama by providing them, through its volunteer staff, not only shelter and food, but, also, clothing and footwear, medical care, legal support, networking for vocational training, psychological support, psychological support for underage children from a child psychologist and job placement in order to develop their skills and independence. Furthermore, every effort is made to socialize them and Ladies Union of Drama itself carry out seminars, art classes, supportive teaching for children, participation in support groups and all the activities in general in order for all the above targets to be accomplished.

Working with victims of abuse, the following principles are respected:

1. There is no criticism of the experiences, behavior and choices of the host women.
2. Confidentiality is guaranteed at all levels. Particular attention should be paid to the issue of the circulation of information concerning cases of victims of abuse. The victim must be aware of and consent to the communication of personal data and documents. This presupposes that the victim is fully and objectively informed about his or her case.
3. Women and children who have been abused are provided with safety, protection and fair treatment. Victims are protected from any form of harm, retaliation and re-victimization.
4. The principle of self-determination and respect for victims’ decisions are ensured. The victim decides after being informed of all possible options. These decisions are respected, provided that they do not contravene the applicable legislation.
5. Multidisciplinary cooperation is sought (psychologists, child psychologists, social workers, doctors, lawyers, vocational training counselors, etc.)

The students of destitute families and homeless citizens of the Prefecture of Drama who are accommodated in the Hostel since 2014 are included in the same context of principles based on safe accommodation, fair treatment, absolute confidentiality and ensuring the principle of self-determination and respect for their decisions, as long as they do not violate the current legislation, while at the same time trying to ensure their smooth reintegration into society and the labour market. Their accommodation is carried out according to the existing socio-economic conditions, with priority given to victims of gender violence.

Targets

The Hostel “House of Open Hospitality” provides temporary accommodation to women victims of gender violence, unmarried mothers, abused women with children, female students of families in need and homeless citizens of the Prefecture of Drama.

The Hostel “House of Open Hospitality” plays a key role in the case of abused women and children, due to the need to remove the victims from the source of violence and in the case of female students and homeless people, due to the urgent need for shelter.

The Hostel “House of Open Hospitality” provides the appropriate psychosocial support, medical care, legal support and any other support needed by the hosts in order for them to cope with the problems arising from this condition and their traumatic experiences, as well as with professional guidance to enable them to reintegrate smoothly into social life. As a result, women and children who have suffered any form of abuse, once they are free from violence and regain their strength and self-confidence, and homeless citizens of the Prefecture of Drama, once they acquire the necessary conditions, will now be able to continue their lives on new foundations and support any choice they make.