Shedia offers hopes and homes to Athens’ most vulnerable

Shedia’s vendors in their recognisable red vests are now a familiar sight at street intersections, concert halls and other high-visibility places, challenging societal perceptions, one newspaper at a time. For the vendors, it is a step towards social inclusion, of getting back their dignity, their livelihoods, their jobs and homes back.

When Christos Alefantis started Shedia, Athens’ version of The Big Issue in 2013, he didn’t anticipate the lasting impact it would have. Housed in a heritage building, Shedia Home is not only a beautifully designed, bustling café-bar-restaurant whose chefs have been trained by Michelin chef Lefteris Lazarou, it is also a retail point for upcycled home accessories and a workshop that empowers our fellow-citizens to re-build their lives.

Read full article of ATHENS insider here.