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One Social Accommodation Will Not Accommodate Every Socially Vulnerable Family

December 12, 2012

Elene Chumburidze

Thousands of socially vulnerable families expect Tbilisi City Hall to give them accommodations. In the frame of state program on Social Accommodation, the Tbilisi mayor promised them to give flats but the promise was not realized yet.

There are criteria to differentiate citizens below poverty level who have applied for accommodations. These criteria are often changed for uncertain reasons. Supposedly, relevant institutions are working on new criteria now.

Before that, there are three main criteria which shall be met in order to get social accommodation: 1) the family shall not own accommodation and plot in Georgia or outside; 2) their rating according to the poverty reduction program shall not be more than 57 000; 3) at least one family member shall be registered in Tbilisi.

There are four more criteria and family shall meet one of them in parallel to aforementioned three criteria to get a flat: 1) large family, lonely parent, three or more children under 18. More family members might be registered in the family and their number shall not be more than 6; 2) a disabled person or a disabled child in the family. Number of family members shall be no more than 6; 3) family member is former beneficiary of an orphanage; age 19-30; single or married. No more than 4 members; 4) family whose members are retired person/s and where one or two grandchildren are growing up; no more than 4 members.

Representatives of the social service at the Tbilisi City Hall stated that nobody has received accommodations so far because construction of social accommodation has not finished yet. After new criteria are worked out, a commission will be set up at the end of the year which will be in charge to assign flats to people.

Obviously, social accommodation cannot accommodate every socially vulnerable citizen and settlement process will supposedly go on alongside serious argument.

A disabled person Akvsent Abramidze, living in the basement of a house in Paliashvili Street is waiting for the accommodation; his large family has problems regarding the basement.

Akvsent Abramidze applied to Human Rights Center for help. The case study showed that the family lost basement as a result of swindle deals and there are no legal instruments to assist them to get it back. The large family might be soon evicted from the basement. Tbilisi City Hall promised them to give a flat in the social accommodation.

“According to our information, constructing social accommodation can accommodate only 24 families. However, there are many families who want to get flats in it. So, the state tries to make criteria stricter in order not to allow families to argue about it after they are left without flats. It might lead us to a curious situation when they will not find a family who will meet these criteria,” said Eka Kobesashvili, lawyer of Human Rights Center.

Akvsent Abramidze is afraid flats will not be fairly assigned and his family will be left in the street after being evicted from the basement. 

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