Tbilisi authorities evict 45 squatter families from two former schools

In Tbilisi, the authorities have resettled 45 families, who in October 2012 voluntarily moved into former public schools Nos. 13 and 142. The check has found that some of them are socially disadvantaged citizens-participants of the programme to combat poverty. They were given alternative housing.

The unauthorized settling into abandoned buildings began in Georgia on October 3, 2012, when it was announced that the opposition had won the parliamentary elections.

Inga Iremashvili, one of the evicted residents of the former school No. 13, said that residents of Tbilisi became squatters in order to draw the attention of the new authorities to the needs of low-income people. "My husband and I have been renting flats for all 15 years of our marriage; we are in great need: my husband is a pensioner; and I am an invalid. Our income is his pension and my social benefit; it's not enough; therefore, we had to settle into the school building," the woman said in her interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In order to find out who of the squatters really have no place to live, social workers collected data on all the 45 families residing in former schools.

After the check, 16 families were put on the list for provision of alternative housing. The rest of the families possess real estate and cars; and it was also found that some of them have enough earnings to rent apartments.