Purchase a Home 11 - Yeghiazaryan 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 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 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.

The Yeghiazaryan family has been identified and screened as a family to benefit from a new apartment.  Ashot, his wife Ruzan, and their children Arthur and Anna live in terrible conditions.  During the rains, their domik fills with water from the surrounding area.  Ashot works in Gyumri’s central market, hauling purchases for customers.  Anna, suffers from mental illness and her mother cares for her full time. The Yeghiazaryan family is not on any list to receive an apartment as their family did not loose a home in the earthquake.

Once the move is complete, the make shift housing unit will be dismantled to prevent its future occupancy, and the land returned to the city.