Armenia revises housing aid for displaced families

PanARMENIAN.Net - State support amounts under the housing program for families forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh will be revised, following a decision adopted at a government meeting.

Labor and Social Affairs Minister Arsen Torosyan said the list of settlements eligible for 4 million drams in assistance has been expanded to 611, with 150 additional locations included, Sputnik Armenia reports.

“This concerns communities adjacent to Yerevan. Previously, beneficiaries in these areas could receive only 3 million drams in compensation. As a result, Yerevan will remain at the 3 million dram support level, while nearby communities will receive 4 million drams. These include Ashtarak, Artashat, Masis, Parakar, Abovyan, Nairi, Nor Hachn, Garni, and Jrvezh. Some border communities will continue to fall under the 5 million dram support category,” the minister said.

According to Torosyan, around 25,000 displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh live in these 150 Yerevan-adjacent settlements.

The amendments also propose recognizing as family members children born up to and including December 31, 2026, regardless of when the family submitted its application and received certification.

Changes were also made to mortgage repayment support rules. The minister said beneficiaries who, as of July 1, 2025, obtained not a mortgage loan but a consumer loan secured by real estate for refinancing purposes will also now be eligible.

Torosyan presented updated figures, noting that as of March 25, a total of 5,232 certificates had been issued, of which 2,336 had been used, with beneficiaries either purchasing homes or currently in the construction phase.

In this context, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan again addressed issues of peace, the return of displaced persons, and regional risks.

“When years ago we said our ship must reach a peaceful harbor, we have now brought it there. But we, the passengers, must also become peaceful. That means settling down, unpacking belongings, arranging them in cupboards — in other words, transitioning to permanent residence. Otherwise, if we spin up the agenda of return in our region, we will be left with a serious loss,” he said.

The state housing support program for families forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh was launched in June 2024. Assistance amounts to 5 million drams per person in 242 settlements, 4 million in 142 settlements, and 3 million in other areas, including Yerevan (excluding zones 1 and 2), based on 2023 real estate market data. According to Armenia’s Migration and Citizenship Service, 115,365 people were displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh after September 2023, with 34,576 having received Armenian citizenship.