Purchase a Home 19 – Hayrapetyan Family

Following the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, tens of thousands of people were left homeless in the City of Gyumri. Many of these families took refuge in the overseas shipping containers (domiks) that were shipped into Armenia loaded with humanitarian relief supplies, or in condemned buildings. An entire generation of children has grown up in deplorable conditions, often times with no running water and little or no heat. The Armenian government has provided most of the families that lost their homes in the Earthquake with new housing units.

As people moved out of those makeshift housing units, others moved in. The 2,500 or so families that remain are Gyumri’s desolate families, who are not in line to receive a government provided apartment. Many of these families are comprised of single mothers, multiple children and/or the disabled.

This project will identify suitable needy families who can be moved into a new apartment and can demonstrate that they can afford their monthly utilities, etc. This is a sustainable model in that families that have been moved into permanent housing in the past have had a high degree of success maintaining their families and their new homes.

Aram, Yevgine and their daughter Anna live in a domik located essentially on a main street in Gyumri.  The family moved into this domik when they got married.  They have little hope of receiving an apartment through a government program.  Anna, their daughter, has a slight developmental problem that effects her speech.  They are under considerable pressure from the city to move their domik off the road as it effects the traffic pattern and is unsafe to live in such a place.  Aram and Yevgine are fearful that their daughter, Anna could be hit by a car if she is outside alone.

Once the move is complete, the make shift housing unit will be destroyed to prevent its future occupancy.