New assistance programme for forcibly displaced Armenians could be  launched in April 2025

ArmInfo. The Armenian authorities are considering introducing a new program to support families displaced from Artsakh. This was announced on the air of the Public Television by Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Armenia  Tigran Khachatryan.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Armenian authorities will  continue to provide assistance to vulnerable groups of the population  from Artsakh until the end of the year. Thus, in parallel with the  revised 40+10 program, a program may be introduced from April, within  the framework of which the amount of assistance will be tied to the  size of the family's income.

<We allocate 40 thousand drams to children, people with disabilities  of the first and second groups, pensioners. If it turns out that the  monthly income per person is less than 55 thousand, then we will  provide support: 40 thousand drams if the family consists of one  person, and an additional 10 thousand drams for each subsequent  family member>, - he explained.

As Tigran Khachatryan pointed out, since October 2023, more than 115  billion drams have been allocated within the framework of various  assistance programs for internally displaced persons. 85-90% of these  funds were provided from the state budget. The Deputy Prime Minister  called the possibility of attracting funds to help the people of  Artsakh as a result of holding international conferences  <overestimated relative to reality>.

In October 2023, a program was launched in Armenia, within the  framework of which 40 thousand drams (about 100 dollars) per month  per person were allocated to cover housing costs for each family  forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, and another 10 thousand  drams to pay for utilities. The program was supposed to cover all  displaced citizens, regardless of age, with the exception of those in  special centers and those who are not in Armenia. At the same time,  property owners in Armenia were entitled to 10 thousand drams to pay  for utilities.

Initially, the program was approved as a temporary measure, for a  6-month period, since it was planned to implement a housing program.  Then it was decided to continue the program until the end of 2024,  taking into account that it will take time to fully implement the  second program and include beneficiaries in it. In November 2024, the  authorities announced that the terms of the program (40 + 10) will be  revised.

As a result, it was decided to review the terms of the 40+10 program  - from April 2025, people of working age were excluded from the list  of beneficiaries. At the same time, the amount of assistance from  April to June inclusive will be 40 thousand drams, and from July to  December inclusive - 30 thousand drams.

In May 2024, the procedure for implementing the state program for  providing internally displaced persons with housing was approved.  Over the next 10-12 years, the Armenian authorities will spend about  700-800 billion drams on implementing the program. The program  consists of three components. One component is the purchase of an  apartment or a private house by issuing a certificate, the second is  the issuance of a certificate for the construction of a private  house, and the third is the repayment of a mortgage loan. The amount  of financial assistance does not depend on the component and is  determined by the settlement chosen by the beneficiary of the  program, where he plans to purchase/build housing. Thus, in case of  purchasing/building a home in any of the 242 settlements approved by  the government (Goris in Syunik, Berd in Tavush, etc.), the amount of  assistance for each family member, including minors, will be 5  million drams, and when choosing a place of residence from the list  of 148 settlements (Vardenis, Noyemberan, Kapan, Kajaran, etc.), the  funding will be 4 million drams. In all settlements, including  Yerevan (except for the first and second zones), the amount of  assistance will be 3 million drams. If a person has an active  mortgage loan, the government will provide support in the amount of 2  million drams for each family member. Mortgages in the first and  second price zones of Yerevan are also not considered here. When  choosing the second component (issuance of a certificate for the  construction of a private house), the family can direct 3 million  drams from the provided financial assistance to the purchase of a  land plot. In this case, the area of the acquired land should not be  less than 400 sq.m. A mandatory condition for participation in the  program is citizenship of the Republic of Armenia.