ArmInfo.Reforms have been carried out in the state housing program for families forcibly displaced from Artsakh, with final changes being made to the terms of the program.
As reported by the press service of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia, the changes concern, in particular, the amount of assistance provided per person, as well as the list of settlements with increased support. Instead of the previous 148 settlements, 443 in 39 communities are now included.
In addition, the limit on the living space of the purchased real estate per family member has been reduced by 3 square meters and is now 9 square meters.
"If the beneficiaries of the program choose to build an individual residential building, then the area limitation does not apply to the land plot intended for its construction and included in the cost of the certificate. In this case, the support is set at up to 4 million drams instead of 3 million," the ministry said in a statement.
The changes also affected the registration of housing: the right of ownership of the purchased apartment, individual house or land plot intended for construction will be registered in the name of all adult members of the beneficiary's family, while the registration of minors is no longer mandatory.
"The support component for repayment of the current mortgage loan can also be used by persons with a mortgage loan issued after May 16, 2024 and up to and including December 31, 2024. In this case, the support will amount to 3 million drams for each family member," the Ministry of Social Labor continued.
The Ministry also presented the stages of the program's implementation. At the first stage of the program, families of any composition will be able to participate, who, in addition to the certificate, will make an additional payment of at least 30% of the value of the property or receive an additional mortgage loan under any component of the program. Stages 2 (for families with two children) and 3 (for families with one child) will begin on July 1, 2025 and July 1, 2026, instead of January 1, 2026 and 2027.
"If a child is born after the certificate has been received or used, then the assistance from the account of this child can be used to pay off the remaining principal amount of the additional mortgage loan provided to the beneficiary under the program. In the absence of such, it will be realized as a positive balance," the department summarized.
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan, under the pretext of an "anti-terrorist operation", committed another act of aggression against Artsakh. This was preceded by a nearly 10-month blockade of the unrecognized republic. Since the enemy aggression that began in the fall of 2020, which in September 2023 ended with the complete ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, over 150 thousand Artsakh residents have lost their homeland and become refugees.
According to the Artsakh Union, as of early October 2024, only 30 families applied for participation in the program and received certificates, which is only 0.12% of the total target group.
According to the union's statement, the current program does not take into account the real situation with market prices for housing. "The amount of assistance offered in Yerevan and other cities is insufficient to ensure decent housing conditions. The criteria for the construction of residential buildings in most cases do not meet even the minimum requirements of the projects approved by the authorized state body," the statement said.
At the same time, many beneficiaries face difficulties in obtaining additional mortgage loans, especially if they have previously had loan obligations and a bad credit history.
The organization also emphasized that some program requirements, such as the need for Armenian citizenship at the time of application, limit the participation of beneficiaries. In addition, a number of provisions violate the rights of various groups of people and sometimes contradict the country's Constitution.
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