More Than 6,400 Artsakh Refugee Families Receive Housing Certificates in Armenia
Government figures show progress in the transition from emergency aid to long-term resettlement, but thousands of displaced families still face the difficult task of securing a stable future.
Nearly three years after the mass displacement from Artsakh, Armenia’s housing program has reached a significant new stage. By May 31, 2026, the government had issued housing certificates (վկայագրեր) [vkayagrer] to 6,444 displaced families, covering 26,432 people, according to Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan. More than 2,970 of those families, representing around 13,400 people, had already used the program to purchase homes or apartments, a development that shows the gradual movement from emergency displacement (տեղահանում) [teghahanum] toward permanent settlement. The figures underline a broader effort to support the social and economic integration (ինտեգրում) [integrum] of people who arrived in Armenia after the September 2023 exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh.
The housing certificates represent an important benchmark (նշաձող) [nshadzogh] for a government program that is trying to replace short-term aid with durable housing solutions. A certificate does not automatically mean that a family has completed a purchase, but it gives an eligible beneficiary (շահառու) [shaharu] financial support that can be used to buy a house or apartment, build a home or, in some circumstances, repay an existing mortgage. The distinction between receiving a certificate and completing its utilization (օգտագործում) [ogtagortsumn] is important, because more than half of the families who have received certificates had not yet purchased housing by the end of May. That gap reflects the reality that finding an affordable home, arranging financing and choosing a community are complex decisions for families rebuilding their lives after forced flight.
The value of homes already purchased through the program was estimated at approximately 48 billion drams, according to Khachatryan’s parliamentary statement. That figure demonstrates the scale of the public disbursement (հատկացում) [hatkatsum] involved in helping displaced families enter the housing market, while also showing how much private housing supply and bank lending matter to the program’s success. The government reported that 45.7 billion drams had been allocated from the state budget in 2025 for support to people displaced from Artsakh, with approximately 146 billion drams allocated from 2023 onward. These figures place housing support within a larger fiscal (հարկաբյուջետային) [harkabyujeṭayin] commitment that includes rent assistance, direct financial support and other programs aimed at reducing the burden of sudden relocation.
The state’s planned spending also indicates that the support effort is far from complete. The 2026 draft budget earmarked 55 billion drams for relevant program areas, exceeding the approximately 38 billion drams reported for those support measures in 2025. Such an allocation (բյուջետային հատկացում) [byujeṭayin hatkatsum] is not simply a humanitarian expense; it is an investment in whether displaced families can establish long-term security, participate in local economies and avoid repeated housing instability. The challenge is to ensure that public funds translate into real tenure (սեփականություն) [sepaknutyun] and stable living conditions rather than remaining only as approved promises or inaccessible certificates. The effectiveness of the program will ultimately be measured not only by the number of certificates issued, but by how many families can remain safely housed several years after the initial purchase.
Housing policy has also been adjusted to reflect major differences between communities. The government expanded the number of settlements where support per person for buying a house or apartment is set at four million drams, rather than three million drams, from 452 to 611 settlements. In March 2026, the higher amount was extended to communities adjacent to Yerevan, an attempt to address affordability (մատչելիություն) [matcheliutyun] in areas where housing prices can be difficult for displaced families to meet. The measure may improve access to homes closer to employment, education and healthcare, but it also illustrates the continuing importance of mortgages (հիփոթեքներ) [hipotekner] and financing conditions in determining whether families can use their support effectively. A certificate is more valuable when it can be combined with realistic lending, transparent property markets and enough available housing in the locations where families want or need to live.
The broader story is one of relocation (վերաբնակեցում) [verabnaketsum] on a national scale. In September 2023, more than 100,000 people arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh within a single week, with UNHCR reporting that children and older people accounted for a substantial share of arrivals. The immediate priority was emergency shelter, food, cash assistance and basic services, but the long-term question has become how families can establish roots in a chosen settlement (բնակավայր) [bnakavayr] without losing access to work, schools, relatives or community networks. Housing is therefore not a stand-alone issue: it affects whether children can remain in the same school, whether adults can commute to employment and whether elderly people can receive regular care.
Employment is central to the success of any housing solution. As of December 31, 2025, the Armenian government reported that more than 31,300 people displaced from Artsakh were permanently employed or self-employed, suggesting that many families have begun to rebuild their livelihoods (կենսապահովում) [kensapahovum] in Armenia. Permanent work and self-employment (ինքնազբաղվածություն) [inknazbakhvatsutyun] can make it easier to qualify for loans, pay utility bills and remain in a newly purchased home over time. Yet employment statistics alone cannot capture differences in income, job security, informal work, rural access to opportunities or the effect of relocation on professional careers. The long-term strength of the housing program will depend on whether families can support themselves after state assistance declines.
International organizations have emphasized that durable housing must be connected to other forms of support. UNHCR has noted that around 63 percent of the refugee population in Armenia is of working age and that sustainable resilience (դիմակայունություն) [dimakayunutyun] requires employment programs, training, access to finance and opportunities for economic participation. This is especially relevant for households facing vulnerability (խոցելիություն) [khotseliutyun] because of disability, old age, single parenthood, large family size or limited ability to travel for work. A family may receive a certificate and purchase a home, but still struggle if it is isolated from services, unaffordable to maintain or located far from jobs. Effective integration therefore requires coordination between housing policy, regional development, transport, education, health services and employment programs.
Rental support remains necessary for many people who are not yet ready to buy a home or whose circumstances prevent them from using a certificate immediately. At the end of 2025, the government approved measures to partially compensate rent for certain displaced groups while continuing other financial-assistance programs. Such reimbursement (փոխհատուցում) [pokhhatutsum] can protect families from sudden eviction or debt, especially in a rental market where prices may be difficult to manage after displacement. However, rent support is fundamentally different from permanent housing security (բնակարանային անվտանգություն) [bnakaranayin anvtangutyun], because it depends on continued payments and does not give a household ownership or long-term stability. The policy challenge is to avoid leaving families trapped between temporary rent assistance and homeownership programs that remain difficult to access.
The next phase of the program will require careful implementation (իրականացում) [irakanatsum] rather than only ambitious targets. Authorities will need to make sure that beneficiaries understand eligibility rules, financing options, property documentation and the geographic differences in certificate amounts. Transparent monitoring (մշտադիտարկում) [mshtaditarkum] will also be essential, including clear information on how many certificates are used, where homes are purchased, how much public support is spent and whether families remain in stable housing after the transaction. This kind of transparency (թափանցիկություն) [tapantsikutyun] is not merely administrative; it helps the public evaluate whether a major state program is reaching the families with the greatest needs and producing lasting results.
The housing certificate program is an important sign that Armenia is moving beyond the first emergency phase of the Artsakh displacement crisis. It reflects a policy shift from immediate humanitarian (մարդասիրական) [mardasirakan] assistance toward a more durable model of resettlement, ownership and social participation. But the success of that model will depend on sustained coordination (համակարգում) [hamakargum] between government institutions, municipalities, banks, employers, international partners and the displaced communities themselves. More than 6,400 certificates are a meaningful achievement, yet the larger task remains ensuring that every displaced family has a realistic path to safety, dignity and a stable future in Armenia.
Key Armenian Vocabulary
վկայագրեր [vkayagrer] certificates
տեղահանում [teghahanum] displacement
ինտեգրում [integrum] integration
նշաձող [nshadzogh] benchmark
շահառու [shaharu] beneficiary
օգտագործում [ogtagortsumn] utilization
հատկացում [hatkatsum] disbursement
հարկաբյուջետային [harkabyujeṭayin] fiscal
բյուջետային հատկացում [byujeṭayin hatkatsum] allocation
սեփականություն [sepaknutyun] tenure
մատչելիություն [matcheliutyun] affordability
հիփոթեքներ [hipotekner] mortgages
վերաբնակեցում [verabnaketsum] relocation
բնակավայր [bnakavayr] settlement
կենսապահովում [kensapahovum] livelihoods
ինքնազբաղվածություն [inknazbakhvatsutyun] self-employment
դիմակայունություն [dimakayunutyun] resilience
խոցելիություն [khotseliutyun] vulnerability
փոխհատուցում [pokhhatutsum] reimbursement
բնակարանային անվտանգություն [bnakaranayin anvtangutyun] housing security
իրականացում [irakanatsum] implementation
մշտադիտարկում [mshtaditarkum] monitoring
թափանցիկություն [tapantsikutyun] transparency
մարդասիրական [mardasirakan] humanitarian
համակարգում [hamakargum] coordination
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