The implementation of the “Coverage” program for the free housing of vulnerable young people in private houses, with the rent paid by the State, is in full progress.

The “Coverage” program, which is one of the government’s housing policy actions and was established by Law 5006/2022 “My house – housing policy for young people, utilization of public property for social housing and other provisions”, is aimed at young people, aged 25 – 39 years old, who are beneficiaries of the Minimum Guaranteed Income and do not own their first home.

With the “Coverage” program, private homes allocated for the housing of asylum seekers, as part of the “ESTIA” program, which ended in December 2022, are to be used, provided of course that their owners wish to join it and to submit the relevant application together with the required supporting documents.

In particular, the State covers for three years the cost of renting private homes, which cannot exceed the rental amount with which the home was allocated under the “ESTIA II” and “ESTIA 2021” programs, adjusted when it changes average annual general consumer price index of the Hellenic Statistical Authority for the year 2022.

At the same time, the program covers the costs of moving the household and transporting their household goods, while the owners, in addition to the guaranteed rent, are also covered for repairs of damages found in the properties during the lease and at the end of the lease.

Sofia Zaharakis at APE-MPE: We are fully aware of the value of social cohesion

Speaking to APE-MPE, the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Sofia Zaharaki, states that the “Coverage” program is another tool in the government’s broader effort to address the modern housing problem, especially for young people, as, through the program, our economically vulnerable fellow citizens are given the opportunity to acquire free housing for the next three years, with the payment of rent by the State.

“The Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family plans and implements actions and policies to support our fellow citizens, young women and men and, more broadly, our fellow citizens who need the support of the State. We are fully aware of the value of social cohesion built through strategy and a series of systematic initiatives. In our ministry it is a central priority” notes Mrs. Zaharaki.

Great interest

The interest that has been expressed so far in participating in the program is intense.

According to the latest information available, at this stage, 46 municipalities from all over the country have responded positively, in whose administrative boundaries there are private houses that were allocated for the housing of asylum seekers within the framework of the “ESTIA” program, while 14 programmatic agreements have already been signed contracts with municipalities, among which are the municipalities of the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki and the Central Sector of Attica.

In the near future, the signing of the programming contracts concerning the municipalities of the South and West Sector of Attica is expected.

The process is simple. Initially, an invitation is published to the owners of the homes that participated in the “Estia” programs, in order, if they wish, to join the “Coverage” program. The submission of the application by the owners must be accompanied by their responsible declaration that the property meets the defined criteria, is ready for use and does not have a real defect. The relevant municipality has the possibility, through its competent services, to carry out sample checks, before leasing the properties.

The next stages are the submission of applications by the young people, together with the necessary supporting documents, their evaluation, based on the criteria defined in the Joint Ministerial Decision (JMA) and the selection of the residences by the beneficiaries.

The interested parties, who submit applications for participation, are classified by municipality with points and lists are drawn up, according to the following criteria: families with many children, families with three children, people with disabilities (67% or more), households that have been notified of an enforceable court decision to evict them from a rental property residence or wage payment order, single-parent families, families with one or two children, unemployed persons registered with the Public Employment Service (DYPA), persons or families accommodated in shelters for female victims of violence and persons or families accommodated as members of Minimum Guarantee households Income.

The municipality, for its part, invites households in order of priority, according to their ranking, to choose from the list of available houses in their municipality those that meet their needs according to the composition of the household and their preference for the area of ​​the municipality where the property is located.

Each household chooses up to three available properties, among which it is asked to choose the appropriate one to rent.

If the household rejects the candidate properties, it is automatically ranked at the bottom of the priority list, while the rented properties are removed from the council’s list of available homes.