This is the Shelter Offered to the Homeless by the Ministry as of December 30: Human Rights Defender

The Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is organizing changes in the shelter for homeless individuals with shortcomings and without providing basic housing conditions in advance. This was announced by Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia.

The Ministry has poorly organized the process of providing shelter for homeless people, leaving individuals facing difficulties due to the state's failure to address these issues in a timely manner. The matter concerns the dignity and rights of people who find themselves in a difficult life situation and in a doubly vulnerable state.

For years, the 'Hans Christian Kofod' Charitable Foundation located in Vardashen has been providing services for temporary accommodation for homeless people in our country. Already on December 13, 2021, it was clear to the Ministry that no organization had applied for the tender for the provision of temporary shelter services.

Moreover, the Ministry was previously aware that the 'Hans Christian Kofod' Charitable Foundation, which was providing the services at that time, could not submit a bid that year due to being included in a list of organizations prohibited from participating in competitions for grants from the state budget, following the improper provision of services under another program, as reported by the Ministry.

Therefore, the Ministry took it upon itself to provide shelter for homeless individuals, which it has committed to ensure in a separate building of the 'Yerevan N1 Home-Internat' State Non-Commercial Organization. According to the Human Rights Defender, the Ministry has not provided adequate conditions in advance for service delivery.

Specifically, on December 30, 2021, alarms were raised to the Defender's office from the shelter users claiming that they, having the status of homeless individuals, would be left outdoors starting December 31, as the contract between the state and the 'Hans Christian Kofod' Charitable Foundation would expire.

The Human Rights Defender's office initiated an urgent investigation into the alerts. It turned out that there had been previous cases where, after the expiration of a contract, the foundation continued providing assigned services until a new contract was signed. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs explained to the Human Rights Defender's office that this time the contract would not be extended and that they would assume shelter provision from January 1 for the mentioned reasons.

Upon the instruction of the Human Rights Defender, a rapid response visit was conducted on December 30, 2021, to the corresponding building of the 'Yerevan N1 Home-Internat' to assess the conditions of the shelter.

During the visit, it was recorded that the proposed building does not meet minimum conditions for decent living and basic needs. In particular, although the Ministry planned for 93 recipients to be transferred starting December 31, as of December 30, renovation works were still ongoing in that building, which, according to specialists, should have resumed on January 3, 2022.

The Ministry assured the Human Rights Defender's office that the renovation would be completed by the end of January, but the investigation suggests that this may not be a realistic timeline for a complete renovation.

At the time of the visit, there was only one operational restroom designated for both men and women, and the rooms were overcrowded with beds. The beds are arranged in a manner that is so cramped it does not provide even minimal living conditions for personal privacy.

Due to the Ministry's severe lack of information, the institution was unaware of the specific needs of the recipients; for example, how many have disabilities, including mobility difficulties, or how many require bedridden care. It was noted that the building is not accessible for people with disabilities, including the lack of an elevator.

Despite the lack of proper information regarding the needs of the recipients, a demand for the increase of positions was presented, which raises concerns regarding meeting the needs of the individuals.

We specifically note that at the 'Hans Christian Kofod' Charitable Foundation, the Human Rights Defender has recorded numerous systemic and individual problems regarding the rights of the homeless for years. However, the purpose of this statement is not to address those issues; it is about the unacceptable situation where the state does not fulfill its constitutional obligations towards individuals, fails to resolve issues in a timely manner, yet the person becomes the target and "responsible party" for the negative consequences of all this.

Attached are photographs presenting the shelter proposed to the homeless by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs as of December 30, where they were to be transferred on December 31: