32 Years After the Earthquake, There Are Still Shack Dwellings in Gyumri

According to the latest registration, there are 3,547 temporary shelters in the Shirak region, of which 2,858 are in Gyumri. In order to liberate Gyumri from shacks, a special commission was established during the Armenian government's off-site meeting in 2018. 'The commission is still working at this moment,' writes Armenpress.

The process is being implemented not only in Shirak but also in Lori and Aragatsotn. 'The issues faced by families living in shacks will be solved in various ways,' said Albert Margaryan, head of the Urban Development Department of the Shirak Regional Administration, in an interview with Armenpress. He informed that the communities have submitted the data on shack registrations to the Armenian Urban Development Committee, where the procedures for clearing shacks from the areas are being clarified.

'Different types of shelters will be dismantled and removed from the territory in various ways. This is not about providing housing to the residents of the shacks, but rather about freeing the space of the city or community from temporary shelters,' emphasized Albert Margaryan.

There are many complex issues arising since the reasons for families being in shacks vary: some became homeless due to the earthquake, while some moved in due to large family sizes, others received compensation but sold their apartments and remained in shacks, and there are also some who purchased shacks due to internal migration and are living in Gyumri.

Currently, the Armenian government cannot immediately take on this large burden and provide housing for all families living in shacks, which is why they are categorizing which types of shacks should be compensated or how this should be implemented. This will be determined in the final phase of the commission's work, and a corresponding government decision will be made, along with a timeline.

Despite the presence of shacks, currently, there are no families recognized as beneficiaries by the state due to the disaster. 'There are no families who, having remained homeless due to the earthquake, losing their homes, and being recognized as beneficiaries, have unresolved issues, though there are families who, for some reasons, have not been recognized as beneficiaries,' mentioned Albert Margaryan.

Let us remind you that 32 years ago, a 10-point earthquake in Armenia caused thousands of buildings to collapse and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people in a matter of seconds.