Ithaca Laundry, Mobile laundry services and social reintegration for people experiencing homelessness

Ben Schmidt on 10 December 2025

Europe’s first mobile laundry unit for people experiencing homelessness

Ithaca Laundry provides free laundry and hygiene services to individuals living on the streets or in precarious housing conditions, primarily around Athens and the wider Attica area. Since 2016, the organization has operated a van equipped with washing machines and dryers, a mobile laundry unit that travels to various locations to collect, wash, dry and return clothes to beneficiaries who otherwise lack access to basic sanitation facilities.

Beyond the immediate benefit of clean clothing, Ithaca frames hygiene as a foundation for dignity, a steppingstone toward restoring self-esteem, social inclusion and improved life chances.

To complement its hygiene services, the organization also implements social-reintegration programmes: individuals who have experienced homelessness may be offered part-time roles within Ithaca, operating the mobile laundry or contributing to administrative and support tasks, as a transitional employment pathway.

Since 2021, Ithaca has further expanded to include social services and employment counselling, offering beneficiaries support with CV writing, job-search assistance and psychosocial support, thus aiming for durable reintegration into the labour market and society.

Additionally, Ithaca Laundry engages in awareness-raising and advocacy, working to shift public perception and influence policies related to homelessness, poverty, and social exclusion. Its interventions sometimes extend to emergency response, distributing hygiene items or clothing during cold weather or crises.

Through this multi-pillar approach, hygiene services, reintegration support, and advocacy, Ithaca Laundry aims not only to meet basic needs, but to offer pathways for vulnerable individuals to emerge from social exclusion with dignity and opportunity.

Characteristics of innovation

Bank of innovations, Cross-cutting intervention, New model of intervention, New service, Poverty and exclusion, Proximity care, User empowerment

Location

Athens, Greece

Partners/ Founders

The Hellenic Initiative (THI), Bodossaki Foundation

Genesis

Ithaca Laundry was founded in 2015 by three students, inspired by a similar initiative in Australia, aiming to address the lack of hygiene services for homeless people in Athens. The idea materialized into a pilot mobile laundry van which launched in April 2016 in Athens. By January 2017, daily operations began, and the organization established its first jobs for people from socially vulnerable backgrounds.

Implementation level

The mobile laundry unit has served over 9,000 beneficiaries through more than 35,000 visits and has cleaned over 170 tons of clothes. Furthermore, the initiative has expanded into stable laundry services at a municipal homeless-shelter centre, employment-reintegration and psychosocial support, indicating a shift from a pilot aid project toward a broader, more sustainable social support infrastructure.

More information

Propose your innovation

See our selection of innovations

Banc d’innovacions

Virtual Reality in Social Care: Experiential Training and Intervention

Immersive Training Platform – Embodied Labs (USA) and VIA Project (Catalonia) February 17, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Open for registrations.

Un servei comunitari remot, basat en la televisió, per reduir la solitud i promoure el benestar entre les persones grans

Casal TV, virtual social centre for older people through interactive television

A remote, television-based community service to reduce loneliness and promote well-being among older adults

Dinder Club, a dedicated dating & social-plans app for people with intellectual disabilities

Facilitating safe social, affective and romantic connections for people with intellectual disabilities

Campanya de sensibilització orientada a la joventut per abordar la soledat no desitjada a Espanya

Aquí la Sole, campaign against youth loneliness

A youth-oriented awareness campaign tackling unwanted loneliness in Spain

Una eina digital interactiva per ajudar els infants a entendre i recórrer el procés Barnahus

Journeys App, guiding children safely through the Barnahus process

An interactive digital tool to help children understand and navigate the Barnahus process

Ithaca Laundry, Mobile laundry services and social reintegration for people experiencing homelessness

Europe’s first mobile laundry unit for people experiencing homelessness

Oroi, a virtual reality tool aimed at providing physical and cognitive stimulation to older adults

Magalí Garcia on 30 July 2025

Virtual reality platform designed to promote physical and cognitive stimulation for older adults

OROI, plataforma de realitat virtual per millorar la qualitat de vida de la gent gran

Oroi is a virtual reality platform developed to improve the quality of life of older adults through immersive experiences that promote emotional well-being and active aging. Its main objective is to facilitate Person-Centered Care (PCC) with stimulating and easy-to-use digital content.

Using a simple display system with virtual reality glasses, people can travel to natural landscapes, cities, monuments, or relive spaces and moments from their past. These experiences connect them with past experiences, stimulating their memory and improving their emotional well-being.

The platform includes a comprehensive support service for professionals who use it: initial training, technical assistance, and follow-up. This makes it very easy to incorporate into the routine of healthcare centers, without requiring advanced technical knowledge. Professionals can use Oroi as a practical and effective tool to deliver the most engaging and dynamic sessions.

Oroi features a simple and accessible interface with dynamic and stimulating audiovisual content aimed at seniors. This customization allows sessions to be tailored to each individual’s tastes, life history, and preferences.

The tool helps improve the emotional and cognitive state of older adults, increasing their participation and engagement in activities. It also offers professional teams a new way of working that enriches interventions and strengthens the bond between caregivers and those being cared for.