Filenews 19 December 2024 - by Angelos Nicolaou
The Council of Ministers revised the criteria of the housing plans of the Service for the Care and Rehabilitation of Displaced Persons (YMAPE) yesterday, following a proposal by the Minister of Interior.
The most important changes concern the horizontal increase of income limits by €5,000 for each category for housing schemes related to the construction and purchase of housing and harmonization of the income limit for the housing repair scheme. Another change concerns cases where the specified income criteria are exceeded by up to 10%, if all other terms and conditions of the proposed criteria are met, the application will be approved and the amount of the excess will be deducted from the amount of financial assistance. The revised plans also include the modification of the criterion in the purchase plan, so that the date of connection of the house to the EAC network is taken into account for the purposes of examining the application and calculating the amount of the grant, and not the date of conclusion of the purchase and sale document as currently applied.
The age limit for international students applying for housing is also increased, up to 25 years old for women and up to 26 years old for men in case of completion of compulsory military service. It was also decided to reduce the age of the housing unit from 20 to 15 for the housing repair plan of the house, as well as to harmonize the income limit of this plan with the purchase and construction plans.
The revised criteria include a provision for approval of the application and the granting of the full amount of housing assistance in cases where one member of the couple is non-displaced and owned a housing unit, which he alienated at least five years before entering into marriage or civil partnership with the other member of the couple. Modification of the criterion, so that in cases where there has been an alienation of a residential unit that does not meet the current needs of the family, the application for the amount applicable to a single person (up to €20.000) is approved.
In his statements, the Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, said that the need to amend the criteria and add new ones arose after the comments and suggestions submitted over time both by the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Refugees and the Pancyprian Union of Refugees, as well as by the beneficiaries of displaced persons themselves. "Our goal," he said, "is to improve the plans in such a way that more beneficiaries benefit from them and respond to the current needs and challenges faced by the refugee world in the effort to meet their housing needs."
The new income limits
>> Up to €30.000 for single persons.
>> Up to €50.000 for a couple (family of two) or single parent family.
>> Up to €55.000 for a family with one child.
>> Up to €60.000 for a family with two children.
>> Up to €70.000 for a family with three children or more.
Responsibility in the Municipality of Strovolos for evacuation of dangerous premises
Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to the construction site on Gypsou Street in the settlement of Kokkines in Strovolos, where works are being carried out for the construction of an apartment building under the "ktiZO" Plan, Mr. Ioannou noted that the apartment building being erected on Gypsou Street will consist of 30 apartments, 18 of which will house the beneficiaries of the "KtiZO" Plan from three apartment buildings of the settlement that were deemed dangerous and unsuitable. The remaining 12 apartments, he explained, will be offered for sale by the developer of the project to young families eligible for affordable housing, thus contributing to the wider effort of the state to increase affordable housing, but also the revival of refugee settlements.
Regarding the next steps, the Minister of Interior noted that, at the end of January, the construction of the second apartment building in the Municipality of Latsia-Geri will begin, as well as the one apartment building in the settlement of Platy in Aglantzia, while for another four apartment buildings the construction works are expected to begin within the first four months of 2025.
Meanwhile, the issue of the apartment buildings of the settlement of Strovolos III remains open, due to the refusal of five beneficiaries to leave their apartments. Mr. Ioannou referred to a letter sent by the Municipality of Strovolos, as the competent Authority, giving notice until the end of January 2025 for the evacuation of the apartments.
In turn, the mayor of Strovolos, Stavros Stavrinidis, noted that the municipality is responsible for the evacuation of dangerous premises. According to Mr. Stavrinidis, time has been given in the five cases in the settlement of Strovolos III to evacuate the apartment buildings consensually and voluntarily. If they refuse, he said, then the necessary measures deriving from the law will be taken.
