Homelessness

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Illustration: Tamuna Chkareuli/OC Media.

Georgia

Voice | ‘I’ve been homeless since 2000’

by Tamuna Chkareuli

•5 min read

The housing crisis in Tbilisi has come to public attention again, with the demolition of a squatter settlement in Aprika. But that is only the tip of the iceberg, homelessness has affected many in Georgia for decades. Nugzar Chkhaidze, who spends his days in front of the grocery store, and his nights in all over the city, spoke to OC Media about twenty years without a home. ‘I’ve been homeless since 2000, when I lost my flat to the bank. I was working in telecommunications for 21 years, so I h

An excavator tearing down a building in Varketili, Tbilisi, in the early morning of 23 December. Image via RFE/RL.

Georgia

Tbilisi Mayor continues demolitions of ‘illegal houses’ despite opposition

by Shota Kincha

•3 min read

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has continued to demolish housing constructed illegally on public land despite facing public backlash. The city municipal services resumed demolitions in the Ghimilis Ubani (smile neighbourhood) of the capital’s Varketili District on Wednesday, triggering a new wave of public condemnation. Talking to RFE/RL, Levan Pipia, one of the residents of Ghimilis Ubani, claimed that the City Hall and police officers visited them at 07:00 and ordered them to immediately vac

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze posing with a family that he personally gifted with a flat.

Georgia

Tbilisi Mayor poses with Aprika residents after demolishing squatter settlement

by Shota Kincha

•4 min read

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has been accused of engaging in a PR stunt for gifting a flat to a family from Tbilisi’s Aprika settlement after demolishing a nearby squatter settlement. Activists and human rights advocates claim tackling unlawful constructions this way aggravates homelessness in Georgia’s capital. Over a hundred activists gathered outside Tbilisi City Hall on Wednesday demanding the municipal authorities stop demolishing illegally built houses during winter and amidst the COVID-1

A person sleeping outside Tbilisi’s Marjanishvili Metro on 31 March after the curfew began. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

COVID-19

Georgia’s homeless ‘at high risk’ during COVID-19

by OC Media

•2 min read

Homeless people in Georgia are at high risk of catching the coronavirus, Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria has warned. In a statement on Monday, Lomjaria called on the authorities to make efforts to identify homeless people who are unable to comply with restrictions of the state of emergency. ‘Because of having nowhere to live, homeless people are unable to comply with the state of emergency rules, such as the curfew rules, the rules of self-isolation, and recommendations on hygiene or

airport

In pictures | Tbilisi’s night bus — a shelter on wheels

by Tamuna Chkareuli

•2 min read

Two years ago, Tbilisi’s only night bus was introduced to connect the city centre with the airport. Now, it serves as overnight accommodation for the homeless. In February 2017, the Route 37 bus going between Tbilisi’s central Station Square to the airport started running 24/7. The traditional small yellow buses were switched to the larger, modern blue models complete with heating. The initiative was implemented by Tbilisi City Hall for tourists and locals not wishing to spend money on a

Armenia

In pictures | Nowhere else to go: the stories of Yerevan’s homeless

by Armine Avetisyan

•6 min read

Yerevan’s homeless population comes from all over Armenia and beyond, but they all have ended up in the same place. There is one shelter in the city, with a capacity of 100, but it is not enough to house the hundreds living on Yerevan’s streets. There are no official figures on the number of homeless people in Armenia. According to Shavarsh Khachatryan, the director of the Hans Christian Kofoed homeless shelter, there are approximately 400 homeless people in Yerevan alone. Around 100 live i

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia marked on 17 May 2017 (Mari Nikuradze /OC Media)

Domestic Violence

Queer people in Georgia ‘completely defenceless’ against domestic violence

by OC Media

•3 min read

Queer people in Georgia are ‘completely defenceless’ against domestic violence, a recent study conducted by Georgian rights group the Human Rights Education and Monitoring Centre (EMC) has found. The study said this frequently results in victims being forced to leave their homes and impacts their education and careers, contributing to homelessness. The study, called ‘Domestic violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity’ published on 13 December analysed the nature of domestic v