Ithaca Laundry
In 2016, Ithaca Laundry (Ithaca) launched the first mobile laundry unit for the homeless in Greece and Europe, drawing inspiration from Australian non-profit Orange Sky Laundry, based in Brisbane.
Founded on the principle that cleanliness leads to dignity and dignity leads to new opportunities, Ithaca initially focused on providing hygiene services to the homeless in Athens. Since then, the organisation has broadened its scope to include programs aimed at work reintegration, social services and job counselling.
Ithaca’s ongoing mission is to improve living conditions and foster social inclusion through its hygiene services, to reintegrate vulnerable people into the labor market, and raise public awareness around homelessness and poverty.
THI Australia has been a supporter of the Ithaca Laundry work integration program since 2022 and to date, our support has provided three individuals from socially vulnerable backgrounds with the opportunity to develop valuable skills and experience. By working as field workers for the mobile laundry service, they gain practical training aimed at their successful and permanent reintegration into the workforce.
Together with volunteers, the field workers manage the mobile laundry services at designated locations each week. Between September 2023 and January 2024, the mobile laundry units provided 13,950 kilos of washed clothes with over 1,890 visits by recipients.
The impact of this program extends beyond the participants in the work reintegration program to encompass members of the vulnerable communities served by Ithaca including the homeless, rough sleepers, refugees and the elderly.
Recipient Story: Meet Dimitris
