For the first time we are confronted with the problem of homeless people in Cyprus

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou after the Parliamentary Finance Committee meeting on the Ministry of Labour report on rent increases

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 3th June 2019, Nicosia

According to a report which has been prepared for the Ministry of Labour, an increase in rents of up to 70% in immovable property has been revealed in non-privileged areas and even higher increases registered in so-called privileged areas. The rise in rents and increase in property prices in general, along with the fact that wages have remained stagnant  and the absence of a government housing policy, have made the dream of acquiring a home by small and medium-sized families, particularly for young couples, impossible.

A few days before the elections the government made some announcements on housing policy. We still do not know whether these announcements have been translated into a policy or whether there is a housing policy. We hope the government’s well-known tactics of making announcements before elections which are subsequently forgotten, won’t yet again be repeated on this issue as well.

We demand from the government that it formulates a policy on housing because people face many problems with regards housing. We point out that for the first time in Cyprus we are confronted with the problem of homeless people.