Reuters photographer Yannis Behrakis, based in Athens, spent several weeks documenting the unemployed and homeless in Greece as the continued economic downturn has impacted the numbers of homeless. Since the debt crisis erupted in 2009, hundreds of thousands of Greeks have lost their jobs -- the unemployment rate in the country reached 26.8 percent, as the economy contracted by another 5.6 percent in the first quarter of 2013, and even stricter austerity measures are being urged. See also Portraits of Greece in Crisis from last year. [23 photos]
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Alexandros, a 42-year-old from Serres in northern Greece, sits in the
abandoned car he lives in, at the port of Piareus near Athens, on April
10, 2013. Alexandros owned a plant shop in Athens until 2010, when it
was forced to close, he became homeless soon after. According to Praxis,
a non-governmental organization, the number of homeless in Greece has
nearly doubled to over 20,000 from 11,000 in 2009. (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis) 
Michael, 36-years-old and unemployed, poses by an abandoned open-air
cinema in central Athens, on February 8, 2013. Michael worked as a hotel
clerk for over fifteen years but when the hotel closed he was unable to
find work and in late 2011 became homeless. Two months later he was
diagnosed with lymph node and thyroid cancer. He now lives outside a
church. (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis) #
Adrian, a 51-year-old from Romania, extracts copper from a cable in
central Athens, on January 18, 2013. Living and working in Greece for
over a decade, Adrian lost his job in 2011 when the lorry company he was
working for closed down. He now lives in an abandoned warehouse in an
Athens vegetable market and survives by collecting scrap. (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis) #
Andy, a 53-year-old unemployed German immigrant from Dusseldorf, sits
by his makeshift home at a deserted harbor storage building in the port
of Piraeus, near Athens, on April 13, 2013. Andy worked in Greece for
many years, becoming homeless after he lost his job six years ago. (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis) #
Dimitrios, 51, watches as his girlfriend Marialena, a homeless AIDS
sufferer and former drug addict who is on a methadone rehabilitation
program, put on makeup after waking up under a bridge in Athens, on May
26, 2013. Dimitrios was a dancer for a famous Greek folk dancing troupe
until he lost his job three years ago and became homeless. (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis) #
Stephanos, 42, reflected in a mirror as he combs his hair before
setting off to look for a job in Athens, on May 16, 2013. Stephanos
became homeless in late 2012 when the clothes shop where he had worked
for over a decade closed down and he had no income to pay for his flat.
He now lives next to a church in central Athens and eats in soup
kitchens. (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis) #
Alexandros, a 42-year-old from Serres, lights a cigarette as he sits in
the abandoned car he lives in, at the port of Piareus near Athens, on
April 10, 2013. Alexandros owned a plant shop in Athens until 2010, when
it was forced to close. He became homeless soon after. (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis) #
Related links and information
Portraits of Greece in Crisis - In Focus, April, 2012
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