Support Programs for Artsakh Residents Extended

The Armenian government has decided to extend for one year the programs aimed at covering the living expenses and urgent support for certain groups of persons who have been forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as additional urgent social support for needy families who have been forcibly displaced.

Arsen Torosyan, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, informed that more than 44,000 individuals who have been forcibly displaced from Artsakh benefit from the first program, while over 6,000 citizens benefit from the second program.

"These mainly include families with a small number of members, between 1 to 3, who either have a category of severe disability, or are of advanced age. We are offering them an alternative through this program. If they meet all the criteria that allow them to benefit from the certificate (which is mainly the citizenship requirement), but cannot do so because the amount will be insufficient, we are allowing them to register in our social housing fund queue as potential beneficiaries. However, since we likely cannot provide them with that housing fund at that moment, due to the lack of available apartments, we will provide partial compensation of 40,000 drams for rent, for a period of 10 years," Torosyan explained.

According to him, if during the 10 years, they are offered a social apartment close to their place of residence, citizens will be invited to move into that apartment at any stage as a more stable living option. If they refuse at that moment, they will lose access to that program, but if they agree, they will continue to live in the social housing fund.