Housing

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Armenia

Housing programme for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees receives cold reception

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•3 min read

A housing programme for refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh has been condemned by some of its intended beneficiaries, who have accused the government of refusing to consider their needs. Approved on 16 May, the programme provides one-off payments to cover housing costs. On Tuesday, the Initiative to Ensure the Needs of the People of Artsakh, a grassroots advocacy group, condemned the government’s approach. The group called on people to boycott the programme, criticising it for not considering t

Students protesting at Tbilisi State University. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

Georgia

Podcast | Georgians take on predatory lending

by OC Media

•1 min read

The eviction of the Khatiashvili family from their home in Tbilisi last week has led to outrage in Georgia and accusations that the government is taking an ‘inhumane’ approach towards debt and housing. This week, we hear from Marina Khatiashvili, who was evicted alongside her family in Tbilisi. We also speak to OC Media journalist and co-director Mariam Nikuradze about the protests surrounding the eviction, and to the Social Justice Centre’s Salome Shubladze about predator

Georgia

Second family saved from eviction in Tbilisi as protests continue

by Shota Kincha

•3 min read

Georgia’s National Bureau of Enforcement has postponed the eviction of a second family in Tbilisi, as protests against a series of controversial evictions continue. On Friday, protesters gathered outside the home of the Balakhadze family, who were due to be evicted later that day. The family includes Guja Balakhadze, a food delivery worker and the family’s primary breadwinner, his brother, who has disabilities, his elderly mother, and several children. The protest was supported by Khma (‘vo

Demonstrators gathered outside the Khatiashvili family’s home to protest their eviction. Shota Kincha/OC Media.

Bank of Georgia

Police clash with protesters attempting to block Tbilisi eviction

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•3 min read

Georgian police have arrested 20 people while evicting a family from their home in Tbilisi. On Tuesday, hundreds demonstrated outside the Khatiashvili family’s home in Tbilisi, as the National Bureau of Enforcement evicted the family for failing to pay their mortgage. The protesters had attempted to prevent the police from entering the Khatiashvili family’s flat. Several activists were also inside the apartment with the family. The Ministry of Internal Affairs accused the protesters o

Residents at an overnight protest by the building. Photo: Hetq

Armenia

Families evicted from former Armenian Defence Ministry HQ

by Ani Avetisyan

•2 min read

Police have reportedly evicted over 150 families from the former headquarters of Armenia’s Defence Ministry on the outskirts of Yerevan. Residents protested outside the building, which they are being evicted from ahead of its renovation for use by the State Revenue Committee. The 13-storey building, located northwest of the city on the Yerevan-Ashtarak highway, was given to Armenia’s State Revenue Committee in April 2022. On Thursday, Yerevan police evicted residents of the building who, a

Protesters outside an abandoned high-rise building in Sukhumi's New District on 20 January. Photo: OC Media

Abkhazia

Abandoned high-rises and housing assistance in Abkhazia

by OC Media

•6 min read

In Abkhazia, vulnerable people who don’t own housing can find themselves neglected by the government, and consigned to poor living conditions. But some families, supported by the opposition, are determined to change that. Last week, protesters frustrated with cycles of rental and poverty in Sukhumi (Sukhum) took matters into their own hands, demanding financial support from the government, and calling for an abandoned building to be repurposed as housing for those in need. The approximatel

Georgia

Ukrainian refugees evicted from Tbilisi and Batumi hotels

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•1 min read

The Tbilisi City Hall and Adjara Tourism Department have halted financing for accommodation and meals in hotels for Ukrainian refugees. Thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war arrived in Georgia following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February. At the beginning of March, the government announced it would provide temporary housing for them, initially for one month. Last week, it was reported that Ukrainian citizens would have to leave their hotels on 1 August, after the sche