During the last government meeting, the implementation process of the state program for providing temporary housing to families displaced from Artsakh was approved. Gayane Ghazaryan, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, announced this during a briefing on June 17. The first stage of the program, which includes providing apartments to these families, was approved by the government on June 14. The program officially started on May 16, and since June 15, an online application process has been launched for potential beneficiaries who meet the criteria and wish to apply for an apartment or accommodation.

Gayane Ghazaryan explained that the program will be implemented in three stages. In the first stage, families can acquire an apartment from a building currently under construction. The second stage will begin on July 15 and will involve recipients who wish to acquire their own accommodation. The construction must be certified by the committee and carried out by a licensed company within Armenia. If families do not have the land to start construction, they can cover the costs within the program if the total area of the land is at least 400 square meters. The third stage will start on August 1 and will include the payment of a mortgage loan. Families who obtained a mortgage loan in May of this year will be eligible for this stage.

Gayane Ghazaryan also explained that the program consists of three components. The first component is the acquisition of an apartment from a building under construction or obtaining housing of one’s own. The second component includes mortgage loan support, with a loan of up to 2 million AMD available to families who completed construction by May 16 of this year. The third component allows applicants to send complaints to the Ministry in writing if there are any problems with the program’s implementation. Gayane Ghazaryan highlighted that the composition of the family, including parents, their children, and other chosen members, will determine the size of the assistance. If any member of the family does not have Armenian citizenship, the application will be rejected unless they obtain Armenian citizenship or revise the application to include the member with Armenian citizenship.

To conclude, Gayane Ghazaryan reiterated that the program will be implemented in three components: acquisition of an apartment or housing, mortgage loan support, and a process for addressing program-related issues. The second stage, starting on July 15, will include beneficiaries who want to obtain their own living quarters. The construction must be certified and based on approved technical and design documents, carried out by a licensed construction company within Armenia. If families do not have land, they can cover the construction costs if the land is at least 400 square meters. The third component, beginning on August 1, involves the payment of a mortgage loan for families who have a working hypothecary loan as of May 16 of this year.