Changes announced to refugee housing plans
The government announced on Wednesday its commitment to supporting refugees by improving their access to housing, as it unveiled revised conditions for housing plans. According to the Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, among the revised c
The government announced on Wednesday its commitment to supporting refugees by improving their access to housing, as it unveiled revised conditions for housing plans.
According to the Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, among the revised criteria of the Service for the Care and Rehabilitation of Displaced Persons’ housing plans is a horizontal increase of €5,000 in income limits for each category related to housing plans that involve the construction and purchase of homes.
The criterion for the purchase plan has also been modified. The date when the property is connected to the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) network will now be considered for evaluating the application and determining the subsidy amount, instead of the current practice, which is based on the date of signing the sale agreement.
In cases where a housing unit no longer meets the needs of the family due to disconnection, the application will be approved for the amount granted to single individuals. Pending applications will now be examined under the new criteria, which are expected to be more advantageous for applicants, ensuring that those whose applications have been delayed are not disadvantaged.
The revised criteria will come into effect on January 1, 2025.
“Our goal is to improve the plans so that more eligible individuals benefit from them and to address the current needs and challenges faced by the refugee community in their effort to meet their housing needs,” Ioannou said.
He stressed that the amendments, approved by cabinet, “reflect our priorities and objectives within the framework of our refugee housing policy”.
The minister was speaking during his visit to the construction site on Gypsou Street in the Kokkines settlement in Strovolos, where a multi-story building is being constructed as part of the Ktizo plan.
Regarding the progress of the Ktizo plan, which aims at improving living conditions in refugee estates Ioannou pointed out that the building under construction will consist of 30 apartments, 18 of which will house beneficiaries of the ktizoplan from three multi-storey buildings in the settlement that were deemed dangerous and unsuitable. The remaining 12 apartments, he explained, will be sold by the contractor to young families eligible for affordable housing, thus contributing to the government’s broader effort to increase affordable housing and revive refugee settlements.
Referring to the next steps, the interior minister noted that by the end of January, construction will begin on the second multi-storey building in Latsia-Yeri, as well as one multi-storey building in the Platy settlement in Aglandjia, while the construction works for four other multi-storey buildings are expected to commence in the first quarter of 2025.
When asked whether the issue concerning the multi-story buildings in the Strovolos III settlement, due to the refusal of five beneficiaries to vacate their apartments, has been resolved, Ioannou referred to a letter sent by the Strovolos municipality which gives a warning until the end of January 2025 for the evacuation of the apartments.
Mayor Stavros Stavrinides said that the municipality is responsible for evacuating the dangerous properties. According to Stavrinides, time has been given to the five cases to voluntarily vacate the building. If they refuse, he said, necessary measures under the law will be taken.
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