Improvements to the “Renovate – Rent” program will soon be announced, according to the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Sofia Zaharakis. The increased subsidy of 60% (up from 40%) will also apply retroactively to those who have already submitted an application to the program.

Regarding the “My Home” program and its successor “My Home 2,” Ms. Zaharakis stated on Open: “Through the ‘My Home’ program, over 6,500 couples have already received their loans for purchasing a home, and by the end of 2024, we expect to reach 9,200 couples. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis intends to continue the program with ‘My Home 2,’ or rather ‘My Home x 2.’ Our goal is to maximize the negotiation margins with the Europeans to secure 2 billion euros for ‘My Home 2,’ as the initial amount for ‘My Home’ was one billion. We will also broaden the age range of beneficiaries up to 50 years old to ensure the program is financially viable over the repayment period.”

Concerning the “Social Compensation” program, the Minister emphasized, “We are working towards launching a tender for the utilization of public properties in 2024. Essentially, there will be an international tender to develop existing public properties (currently vacant land) into apartment buildings. A percentage of these apartments will be offered at market rates, while others will be available for social housing at reduced prices, similar to programs abroad.”

Nurseries and Creative Employment Centers: All Requests to Be Covered with Vouchers

The minister also addressed the issue of nurseries, announcing, “This week, we expect to release the invitation for nurseries and Creative Employment Centers. We are not changing anything from the previous program. We have managed to maintain the same budget and even increase it by 25 million euros to address any additional needs that may arise during the year without having to request extra funds from the Ministry of Finance. This ensures that all valid applications for nursery spots will be accepted.”

Last year, about 53,000 families applied for nurseries, and there were 7,000 applications for Creative Employment Centers, with full coverage for children with disabilities. “There is no way,” said Sofia Zaharaki, “that a family with a child with a disability applies to the Center for Creative Employment and is left out. This continuous effort is funded by the National Budget and co-financed by the European Commission, amounting to over 360 million euros annually.”