Six Families Evicted from Kindergarten Building Live in Tents

Manon Bokuchava, Kvemo Kartli

Tents have been set up in front of the former building of the Rustavi Kindergarten # 35. Six families evicted from the building continue living in the tents. The building, where indigent families voluntarily lodged in, now belongs to the Ministry of IDPs from Occupied Territories, Refugees and Accommodation and it is being renovated to assign to IDPs. 

Evicted people say they have nowhere to go and stay in the tents despite the upcoming winter.

“The local self-government told us they do not have flats; the Ministry of IDPs explained that the building belongs to IDPs – but we stay in the street. We warm tents with stove at night. I do not know how long we will stand it, nobody cares about us. Last week children complained about cold and they entered one room of the building. Police came and wanted to fine the building security with 2 000 lari. We had to take children out,” Pati Burdzenidze said.

Mother of three children Irma Diakonidze was also evicted from the building. “I am indigent person. My child has epilepsy. We have been living in tents for two months already. I do not have anywhere to go; if I had a shelter, I would not have kept sick child here. We sleep under two blankets at night but it is so cold in the tent and it cannot warm us,” Diakonidze said. 

Representatives of the Rustavi self-governmental body state that although they do not have flat fund, they offered the evicted families to shelter the building in Davit Gareji Street # 30 but they refused.

Former warehouse of a factory is located in the mentioned address. The evicted people do not agree to live there because the building is not supplied with electricity and has damaged roof; during rain the water will leak into every room on the second floor. Also, the evicted people claim that other homeless people already live in that building and there is no place for them to live.