Hundreds of families that are currently staying in hotels after the November earthquake have been told they must vacate the rooms by the 1 February.
Residents of Kurbin and Thumane, mainly housed in hotels in Shengjin have been informed by Municipality officials that they must pack up and find alternative accommodation, according to Report TV. Many of those in hotels have still not received their government rental bonus and have been unable to find affordable accommodation for them to rent. This means that hundreds could be left homeless or forced to return to unsafe properties in the coming days.
“We made an application for the rental bonus but the houses are very expensive, we cannot afford it. We searched but we cannot find anything. The money that the Municipality gives us is not enough to find a house to rent” said one citizen.
“They came from the Municipality and told us on 1 Feb we must get out. We have nowhere to go, our only choice is swim 100 metres into the sea until we get tired and then we’re done” said another.
Mayor or Kurbin Majlinda Cara said that only those families who have received the rental bonus will leave the hotels and they must find another solution as they cannot keep staying there.
Even citizens in Tirana have similar stories to tell. Many have not received the rental bonus despite applying in December and others are living in cars or unsafe earthquake damaged properties due to not being able to afford rental prices.
