Between 200 and 250 people face housing problems in Cyprus each year, according to data from the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare.
Phaidra Exadaktylou, an official at the ministry, said the service works to find solutions for these cases, aiming to cover basic housing needs immediately and prevent further social exclusion.
Exadaktylou was responding to questions about houselessness following the discovery of a dead woman on a coastal avenue in Paphos earlier this week. She said police are still investigating the case, and the ministry has no information to comment on it.
“The phenomenon of houselessness ranges at a Cyprus-wide level of 200 to 250 people per year,” Exadaktylou said, adding that compared to other European countries, the situation in Cyprus “is at a very satisfactory level”.
The Social Welfare Services dealt with 225 people facing housing problems in 2024, 380 people in 2023, and 206 in 2022, she said.
Those affected include Cypriots, Europeans and third-country nationals, Exadaktylou said. They are usually single people, but some families also face housing problems. These figures do not include asylum seekers, she clarified.
The ministry and specifically the Social Welfare Services assist individuals or families facing housing problems due to particular circumstances in their lives, she said. Government policy is not to let the phenomenon expand.
“The Social Welfare Services deal immediately with every case that comes to their attention,” she said, adding that they can receive information about individuals or families facing problems through police, reports from citizens, or local authorities.
The services provide support through temporary accommodation in hotels or lodgings, financial assistance and psychosocial support, Exadaktylou said.
Officials make immediate contact with the person facing the problem and provide accommodation whilst investigating their case and identifying further problems they may have, such as psychological issues, she explained.
These individuals receive guidance and support, whilst financial support is provided under Article 11 of the Social Welfare Law, she added.
The Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare is responsible for arranging short-term stays and guidance on finding permanent accommodation, whilst broader state housing policy falls under the Interior Ministry, she said.
(information from CNA)