Irakli Gharibashvili: “New residential spaces and apartments will be provided for 13,000 displaced families by 2025. For the last ten years, we provided apartments to thousands of displaced families.”

Verdict: FactCheck concludes that the Prime Minister’s pledge cannot be kept

Resume

Under the Georgian Dream’s rule, a total of 21,000 displaced families were provided with residential spaces. Of this amount, 14,921 families received apartments as a part of the House in the Village project and in newly built housing blocks (the Prime Minister is referring to the House in the Village project and flats in new housing blacks when saying that residential spaces will be provided for 13,000 families). Therefore, an average of 1,657 families were getting apartments every year within the scope of these projects. According to the Prime Minister’s pledge, 13,000 families are going to receive flats in three years which means 4,300 families annually which is 2.6 times more as compared to average figure of the previous years. If we take a look at Russia’s war against Ukraine and inflation, the Prime Minister’s pledge is very ambitious. Moreover, given the fact that GEL 93 million is allocated for the IDP resettlement programme according to the current budget plan, which is less as compared to what was allocated on average in the previous years (GEL 107 million on average was allocated in the previous years for the resettlement of IDPs), delivering on the Prime Minister’s pledge will be virtually impossible.

Given all of the aforementioned, FactCheck believes that the Prime Minister’s pledge about providing 13,000 displaced families with apartments in new housing blocks and as part of the House in the Village project by 2025 will not be kept.

In regard to the other part of the Prime Minister’s statement about providing apartments to thousands of displaced families in the past few years, indeed this is true. However, despite this fact more than half of all families registered in the IDP database still do not have an apartment and it will take another 21 years before they are fully provided with residential spaces even if the current pace of providing accommodation continues. Therefore, it is a manipuative to portray the issue of providing residential spaces to IDPs in a manner in which there are no problems.

Analysis

The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili, at the session of the Government of Georgia, spoke about providing residential spaces to IDPs and stated: “New residential spaces and apartments will be provided for 13,000 displaced families by 2025. Around 2,400 families will receive apartments in Tbilisi, 1,770 in Zugdidi and 720 in Kutaisi whilst 7,000 flats will be provided from new housing blocks and 6,000 as part of the House in the Village project. For the last ten years, we provided apartments to thousands of displaced families.”

FactCheck will analyse statistical data of the previous years vis-à-vis providing residential spaces to IDPs in order to assess the extent to which the Prime Minister’s pledge can be kept.

As of today, there are 92,079 displaced families registered in the unified IDP database which constitutes 286,442 individuals.

According to the latest figures, residential space has been provided to 43,826 families which accounts for 47.6% (around 136,436 individuals) of all of the families registered in the database. Therefore, as much as 52.4% of displaced families is still without a residential space.

Since 2013 until the present day, 21,000 families have been provided residential places as part of resettlement programs across Georgia. Of this amount, 10,804 families were given flats in newly built housing blocks whilst the government purchased houses for 4,117 families as a part of the House in the Village programme and government-owned areas were given into the ownership of 5,334 displaced families living in those areas. Therefore, an average of 2,333 displaced families received residential spaces every year over the course of nine years. Hence, the Prime Minister’s statement about providing housing to thousands of displaced families is true. However, despite this fact more than half of all of the families registered in the IDP database still do not have an apartment and it will take another 21 years before they are fully provided with residential spaces even if the current pace of providing accommodation continues. Therefore, it is a manipulation to portray the issue of providing residential spaces to IDPs in a manner in which there are no problems.

Residential spaces were provided to an average of 1,480 families every year until 2012.

As mentioned earlier, residential spaces were provided to an average of 2,333 displaced families every year under the Georgian Dream’s rule. According to the Prime Minister’s pledge, accommodation will be provided to 13,000 families in three years. Therefore, 4,300 families need to receive apartments every year which is 1,967 families or 1.8 times more living spaces as compared to the previous years’ data. Of further note is that the Prime Minister is referring to the House in the Village project and apartments in new housing blocks when he speaks about residential spaces. In this case, the statistical data alter sharply.

Under the Georgian Dream’s rule, a total of 21,000 displaced families were provided with residential spaces. Of this amount, 14,921 families received apartments as part of the House in the Village project and in newly built housing blocks (the Prime Minister is referring to the House in the Village project and flats in new housing blacks when saying that residential spaces will be provided for 13,000 families). Therefore, an average of 1,657 families were getting apartments every year within the scope of these projects. According to the Prime Minister’s pledge, 13,000 families are going to receive flats in three years which means 4,300 families annually which is 2.6 times more as compared to average figure of the previous years. If we take a look at Russia’s war against Ukraine and inflation, the Prime Minister’s pledge is very ambitious. Moreover, given the fact that GEL 93 million is allocated for the IDP resettlement programme according to the current budget plan, which is less as compared to what was allocated on average in the previous years (GEL 107 million on average was allocated in the previous years for resettlement of IDPs), delivering on the Prime Minister’s pledge will be virtually impossible.

To summarise, the Prime Minister’s pledge on providing residential spaces for 13,000 displaced families by 2025 either with flats in newly built housing blocks or as a part of the House in the Village project sounds rather ambitious and will most certainly be broken given the previous experience.