Kalashyan-Mamoyan Family Offered Housing, Declined: 'My Step' Foundation

The 'My Step' foundation has provided clarifications regarding the situation surrounding the Kalashyan-Mamoyan family. According to the foundation, 37-year-old Kristine moved into the temporary apartment provided by the 'My Step' foundation two years ago with her 8 minor children. Later, the foundation notified her that she had just one day to vacate the apartment, leaving Kristine and her eight children at risk of being homeless.

Below is the clarification from the 'My Step' foundation:

"On July 1 of this year, several media outlets reported on the situation surrounding the large family of spouses Yurich Kalashyan and Kristine Mamoyan. As a rule, the 'My Step' Foundation does not publicly disclose the stories of beneficiary families, adhering to the ethics of charity and respecting their personal space. However, in the current situation, we feel compelled to respond in detail. We thank all the philanthropists who have selflessly supported these families, providing humanitarian assistance for two years.

It is important to emphasize that the Kalashyan-Mamoyan family has resided rent-free in an apartment provided by a benefactor through the efforts of the 'My Step' foundation for two years. During this time, the Foundation included the family in the 'Phased Overcoming of Poverty' program, which aims to develop the family’s potential and assist in creating a source of income. Since the family failed to fulfill the obligations outlined in the Foundation's program for a year—which involves active collaboration in finding work and establishing a source of income—the program has been terminated in relation to the family. The two years of temporary accommodation was an expression of the benefactor's goodwill, instead of the intended one-year assistance.

The family’s story and their accompanying issues are unfortunately not new. They have periodically raised their needs since 2012 (‘Partially Open Windows’ program recording from 2012). The foundation has addressed this issue since 2018 when the large family moved into a house provided by a benefactor in the Norq-Marash administrative district of Yerevan for a one-year stay. During this time, the 'My Step' foundation took on the responsibility of including the family in the 'Phased Overcoming of Poverty' program, conducted in partnership with World Vision Armenia.

Over the course of a year, the foundation offered the family to relocate to a three-storey private house provided by another benefactor in Nor Kharberd, which had about 1000 square meters of land and facilities for large livestock. In collaboration with other international organizations, the foundation committed to providing the family with property, seedlings, and pets. However, the family declined, citing their intention not to engage in agriculture and their desire to stay within the city limits of Yerevan.

Furthermore, the foundation suggested that Kristine participate in training to acquire skills for employment, which she consistently refused, claiming she was taking care of her children. During this time, six of her underage children attended the N2 special school, while the eldest attended the Vardashen school, where they stayed during workdays. Only the youngest son remained with Kristine, as he could attend kindergarten.

In the summer of 2019, the foundation learned that six of the eight underage children had again been placed in the 'Zatik' children's support center for around-the-clock care for a month. The foundation once again offered Kristine a chance to work, which she categorically rejected. Notably, the unsuitability of transferring children to 'Zatik' under the conditions of having accommodation was also highlighted.

The foundation suggested the family apply to the government’s 'Other Place' program, which provides financial assistance for renting a house in a village and securing employment. The family rejected this offer, stating they would not relocate outside of Yerevan. In the summer of 2019, the agreement to live in the benefactor’s house for one year expired. With the landlord's awareness, the family continued to reside there for an additional year.

In October 2019, the foundation learned that the children were not attending school due to a lack of educational supplies. The foundation reached out to the Guardianship and Trustee Authority. At a meeting convened by the community, it became clear that necessary supplies were being provided to vulnerable families, which included supplies intended for the Mamoyan family's school-aged children. However, the family had not collected these supplies from the municipality until October.

The meeting also offered Kristine a cleaning job at the same school, which she declined. The children only resumed attending school after the community head delivered supplies to their home and drove them to school himself. However, after a month, the children stopped attending school again.

Since March 30, 2020, at the initiative of the foundation, the family has been included in a program run by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which aims to prevent children at risk of being placed in round-the-clock care facilities from being placed there, ensuring that these children can return to their families. Under this program, a monthly humanitarian assistance package for each of the children is provided to the family.

On June 1, 2020, the landlord informed the family that they needed to vacate the house by July 1. Upon learning of the landlord's decision, the foundation offered to search for alternative accommodation together. They were proposed to move to Stepanavan, where a farmer was ready to provide shelter and work for the family at a wage of approximately 150,000 drams each. The foundation also offered to cover moving costs. The family rejected this offer, stating that Stepanavan was too far from Yerevan and that they did not want to engage in agricultural work.

Finding housing in Yerevan proved unsuccessful. Attempts were particularly unsuccessful in the administrative district where the Mamoyan family had already lived because of a reputation for mistreating rental properties. As the landlord informed us, the family accumulated a water debt of 100,000 drams due to neglecting repairs after a water pipe burst during the spring months, which does not include the billing cycle for late June.

Since the family rejected all regional offers, and no rental accommodation was found in Yerevan, the municipality suggested providing storage for the family's belongings so they could move in with relatives and search for accommodation. The family also declined the storage offer, believing they could achieve finding an apartment in Yerevan without leaving their current residence.

It is important to note that the foundation cannot evict a family from someone else’s property. This request was made by the landlord, who had extended the period of living rent-free for an additional year, giving the family sufficient time to settle elsewhere, during which the 'My Step' Foundation undertook numerous efforts that met with refusal from the family.

The social and healthcare program staff of the foundation have constantly monitored the needs and issues of the family, considering the presence of minor children, and attempted to find rational solutions to their situation, negotiating with the parents, who, however, did not respond constructively.

The foundation emphasizes the importance of acquiring skills for finding work as a means of generating independent income for socially vulnerable families. A community of beneficiaries has formed, who have obtained professional skills and are determined to overcome poverty with their own decision, reaching out for the support extended by both the foundation and various benefactors. The fate of this family is also important to the foundation, and even now, our staff are doing everything they can to ensure this large family has at least temporary shelter."