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432 Homeless families in Armenia's Gyumri to get certificates instead
of apartments
12:26 * 28.08.14
Some 432 families of Gyumri (Shirak region), which have been without
home since the 1988 earthquake, are going to receive apartment
purchase certificates, as the state doesn't intend to embark on
apartment building for each single beneficiary.
The government had earlier declared those families as beneficiaries of
a state program aimed to provide housing to the affected population in
Armenia's second largest city. A survey has found that 60% of Gyumri's
population prefers to buy apartments, citing the advantage of winning
time as a reason for such a choice.
Speaking to Tert.am, Vahan Tumasyan, the president of the Gyumri-based
NGO Shirak Center, said that the program is aimed at assisting only
those families that have been registered as beneficiaries. "So, it
doesn't address the apartment problems of all the homeless [people].
On our list of the homeless, we have 1,000 registered families, plus
another 3,000 that haven't been registered," he noted.
Tumasyan said he thinks that a 'mixed option' would be the best choice
by the government. "Hence the families which can afford to buy a good
apartment could be given apartment purchase certificates. The second
group - those who want to receive apartment in very short timeframes -
agree to the certificate option, but [they want] that the state deal
with the purchase and distribution. And the third group includes those
who do not make haste and want a new apartment to be built," he added.
Commenting on the problem, the governor of Shirak, Felix Tsolakyan,
said he supports more the certificate option. Asked whether he doesn't
think that it would be better for the state to buy apartments to later
hand them over to the beneficiaries, the regional governor expressed
his disagreement. "No, the state will not deal with the purchase. It
will be done in a little bit different way: people will be given
certificates and notified that the purchase was made. The money will
be given then," he said.
Tsolakyan promised state efforts to rule out soaring apartment prices
as a result of an increasing demand. "We'll do everything to prevent
an increase. As for the demand, we have calculations to build as many
[apartments] as necessary," he added.
The regional governor agreed that the problem is not limited to 432
families. "The apartment problems are quite serious,s as there are
many homeless people not considered earthquake survivors. There are no
enrolment lists, but there is a list of people who don't have
apartments and need ones. Their number is quite high," Tsolakyan
noted.
He ruled out the possibility of resolving the problem in quick
timeframes. "The solution to their [unregistered families'] problem is
out of the question. It is necessary to first resolve the problem of
those who are on the list. That more becomes the problem of the City
Hall," he added.
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: A. Papazian
of apartments
12:26 * 28.08.14
Some 432 families of Gyumri (Shirak region), which have been without
home since the 1988 earthquake, are going to receive apartment
purchase certificates, as the state doesn't intend to embark on
apartment building for each single beneficiary.
The government had earlier declared those families as beneficiaries of
a state program aimed to provide housing to the affected population in
Armenia's second largest city. A survey has found that 60% of Gyumri's
population prefers to buy apartments, citing the advantage of winning
time as a reason for such a choice.
Speaking to Tert.am, Vahan Tumasyan, the president of the Gyumri-based
NGO Shirak Center, said that the program is aimed at assisting only
those families that have been registered as beneficiaries. "So, it
doesn't address the apartment problems of all the homeless [people].
On our list of the homeless, we have 1,000 registered families, plus
another 3,000 that haven't been registered," he noted.
Tumasyan said he thinks that a 'mixed option' would be the best choice
by the government. "Hence the families which can afford to buy a good
apartment could be given apartment purchase certificates. The second
group - those who want to receive apartment in very short timeframes -
agree to the certificate option, but [they want] that the state deal
with the purchase and distribution. And the third group includes those
who do not make haste and want a new apartment to be built," he added.
Commenting on the problem, the governor of Shirak, Felix Tsolakyan,
said he supports more the certificate option. Asked whether he doesn't
think that it would be better for the state to buy apartments to later
hand them over to the beneficiaries, the regional governor expressed
his disagreement. "No, the state will not deal with the purchase. It
will be done in a little bit different way: people will be given
certificates and notified that the purchase was made. The money will
be given then," he said.
Tsolakyan promised state efforts to rule out soaring apartment prices
as a result of an increasing demand. "We'll do everything to prevent
an increase. As for the demand, we have calculations to build as many
[apartments] as necessary," he added.
The regional governor agreed that the problem is not limited to 432
families. "The apartment problems are quite serious,s as there are
many homeless people not considered earthquake survivors. There are no
enrolment lists, but there is a list of people who don't have
apartments and need ones. Their number is quite high," Tsolakyan
noted.
He ruled out the possibility of resolving the problem in quick
timeframes. "The solution to their [unregistered families'] problem is
out of the question. It is necessary to first resolve the problem of
those who are on the list. That more becomes the problem of the City
Hall," he added.
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: A. Papazian