Monday, 16 April 2012
Orphanage Leavers’ Housing Needs To Be Tackled Under Social Housing Concept
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan called a consultative meeting to discuss ways of tackling orphanage leavers’ housing problems.
The Prime Minister said a new concept has been developed for the State to address the housing needs of orphanage leavers.
”The concept seeks to provide orphanage leavers with satisfactory living conditions so that they could become full-fledged citizens of our country by correlating the future with their own capabilities. They ought to be given adequate education and jobs enabling the purchase of own apartments. We think this work should be done under the concept of social housing estate,” the Premier said.
As the head of government said, the social housing estate should be of dormitory-type, affordable and temporary: “Youth should aspire to prosperous life based on their own earnings. Meanwhile, people should not get used to living in welfare housing. Instead, they should always strive to move to a more comfortable apartment. They need to realize the importance of getting good employment and learning. This is a worldwide trend,” Tigran Sargsyan noticed.
The head of government assured that no one will be forced to leave the social housing unless they stand firm on their feet: Orphanage leavers will be subject to constant monitoring. According to the Prime Minister, additional funds will be committed toward the government’s welfare policy aimed at eliminating the causes of poverty through enhanced educational opportunities and job availability.
A few dozen dormitory-type apartments were reported under construction at Tbilisian – 3, Yerevan, each of them intended for two orphanage leavers.
The Prime Minister instructed to explore the problem and draw up the list of beneficiaries. The same scheme will be applied to orphanages in marzes.
At this point, some 270 orphanage leavers are eligible under the State Support for Orphanage Leavers Program.