NGO Appeals to Armenian Government to Register Families Left Homeless from 1988 Earthquake

Shirak Center NGO has sent an appeal letter to RA President Serzh Sargsyan and RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan (no relation), in which it proposes to make amendments to the government decisions that define the registration procedure for families left homeless as a result of the 1988 earthquake.

In the appeal letter, the NGO notes that thousands of families left Armenia and, in particular, the earthquake zone mainly due to harsh socioeconomic conditions, unemployment and homelessness in the years following the earthquake. 

“Among them are hundreds of families who lost their home in the earthquake; however, they have not yet been compensated by the state. And many such families, during re-registration, being outside of Armenia are not registered in the waiting lists and are basically deprived of the right to receive an apartment, since the government decisions that define the registration procedure for families left homeless as a result of the earthquake designated the deadline for accepting appeals as Dec. 15, 2008. 

“More so, according to the same decisions, obligations for state assistance for the extraordinary provision of apartments for those who didn’t present an appeal before the deadline are considered suspended. Unfortunately, this decision also affects the dozens of homeless families who left the homeland after 2008, as a result of which the families left homeless from the earthquake but deprived of homeless status who returned to the homeland in the last 2 years are forced to leave Armenia again.

“By the way, many of the immigrated families don’t even have temporary dwellings and live in rented apartments or with their relatives,” reads the appeal letter.

Shirak Center NGO expects that the Armenian government will pay immediate attention to the aforementioned concerns and make amendments to the registration procedure so that families who lost their home during the earthquake, but who temporarily left Armenia (or for other reasons were not included in the lists) can be included in the waiting lists and receive compensation for their loss.