Artsakh residents against housing programme of Armenia`s ministry of  social affairs 

ArmInfo. Artsakh residents have come out en masse against the new program of the Ministry of Social  Labor of Armenia to support socially vulnerable families.

Thus, 98% of Artsakh residents voted against the draft program of the  Ministry of Social Labor, published on the e-draft electronic  platform and available for voting.

As reported by the press service of the Ministry of Social Labor of  Armenia, the proposed program envisaged monthly financial assistance  in the amount of 40,000 drams for a person applying on behalf of a  forcibly displaced family, as well as 10,000 drams for each other  member of this family.

The Ministry also clarified that the category of socially vulnerable  families will include families with a level of vulnerability  exceeding 14 points, according to the family vulnerability assessment  system. In addition, this category will include families whose income  is below 160% of the monthly estimated income of one family member,  which gives the right to receive a benefit for insecurity, as well as  families recognized as socially insecure on the basis of an  assessment.

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan, under the pretext of an  "anti-terrorist operation", committed another act of aggression  against Artsakh. This was preceded by an almost 10-month blockade of  the unrecognized republic. Since the enemy aggression that began in  the fall of 2020, which in September 2023 ended with the complete  ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, over 150 thousand Artsakh residents have  lost their homeland and become refugees. It should be noted that in  February 2025, reforms were carried out in the state housing program  for families forcibly displaced from Artsakh, with final changes  being made to the terms of the program. 

As reported by the press service of the Ministry of Labor and Social  Affairs of Armenia, the changes concerned, in particular, the amount  of assistance provided per person, as well as the list of settlements  with increased support. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek  Mkrtchyan expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the housing  program intended for forcibly displaced Artsakh residents, noting  that the number of applications for participation in it was extremely  low. It should be noted that, according to the statement of the  Artsakh Union, the current program does not take into account the  real situation with market prices for housing, and the amount of  assistance offered in Yerevan and other cities is insufficient to  ensure decent housing conditions. The organization also emphasized  that some of the program requirements, such as the need for Armenian  citizenship at the time of application, limit the participation of  beneficiaries. In addition, a number of provisions violate the rights  of various groups of people and sometimes contradict the country's  Constitution.