The Municipality of Agios Vasileios in Rethymno is implementing the first official pilot program in Greece for the conversion of municipal buildings into residences provided to teachers and doctors working in remote areas.
The central figure of the report is the kindergarten teacher. Agriculture Avdikou, the first beneficiary of the program, who vividly describes the difference this initiative has made to her daily life:
«I used to pay €400, and now I pay €50.».
Ms. Avdikou, originally from Thessaloniki, works as a substitute teacher at the Myrthios Rethymno kindergarten. As she mentions in Daily, The high cost of housing in Rethymno made it almost impossible for her to live without financial support from her family, with expenses exceeding even her salary. Her inclusion in the municipal housing program drastically reduces her living costs, limiting them to 50 euros per month, exclusively for operating expenses (electricity and water).
Five residences – clear social criteria
As noted in the report, the Municipality of Agios Vasileios has already converted five unused municipal buildings –mainly old schools– into fully renovated and furnished residences, while there are plans to develop four more apartments.
The mayor of Agios Vasileios, Yannis Tatarakis, explains in Daily that beneficiaries are selected on the basis of specific social criteria, with priority given to:
people with disabilities,
single-parent families,
large families or children of large families.
If the above conditions are not met, all teachers and doctors with maximum income of €35,000.
Funding and demographic dimension
The initiative was funded by 120,000 euros, following cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and personal intervention by Minister Thodoris Livaniou, who described the program as a «pilot project.» According to the mayor, the measure is not only aimed at alleviating the housing problem, but also at addressing the demographic challenge, breathing new life into small villages that have been emptying in recent years.
Example for expansion
Finally, as noted by Daily, Similar initiatives have already been launched or are in the pipeline in other municipalities, such as Ithaca, Astypalea, and Lipsi, as part of a broader plan to utilize municipal and state buildings in island and mountainous areas.
The example of the Municipality of Agios Vasileios thus stands out as good practice to address one of the most acute problems in the region: housing key public sector employees in areas where the real estate market has become unaffordable.
Read the report Sophia Christou here:
https://www.kathimerini.gr/society/reportaz/563985100/edina-400-eyro-kai-tora-50-protes-dimotikes-katoikies-sto-rethymno-gia-ekpaideytikoys-kai-giatroys/
