Over 1,000 families in Durrës have yet to receive their new homes, even though five years have passed since the devastating earthquake. This has been officially confirmed by the Municipality of Durrës to Faktoje.al. Meanwhile, residents say they’ve been assigned apartment numbers but have no information about when they will be able to move into their homes.
On the fifth anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake that hit the country, Durrës Mayor Emiriana Sako addressed the reconstruction process again. This time, Sako promised that the homes for the families affected by the earthquake would be delivered in December 2024 or January 2025.
‘We certainly aim to deliver the apartments in the new neighborhood by 2024. There are still some ongoing works related to infrastructure, OSHEE networks, and the water and sewage systems, but these are close to completion. We will stick to this objective, and we believe December and January will be the timeframe for delivering the homes,’ Sako declared on November 26, 2024.
Faktoje.al reached out to the Municipality of Durrës with an information request regarding the reconstruction process. Among other inquiries, we asked about the number of families affected by the earthquake who still have not received their homes.
The Municipality of Durrës has officially announced that over 1,000 families have yet to move into their homes, even though five years have passed since the devastating earthquake.
‘1,189 apartments in the New Development Area in Spitallë, the Kastrati building, and the New Development Area in Ishëm remain unoccupied,’ the municipality stated in its official response to Faktoje.al.
It further noted: ‘The reconstruction process is nearing completion, including the homes for those affected by the earthquake. The Municipality will facilitate the delivery of the appartments as soon as possible, with the aim of relocating families to their new homes.
Since there are still reconstruction projects that require funding, the Municipality of Durrës has taken steps in the 2025 budget to prioritize these investments.
Additionally, the Municipality of Durrës acknowledges that families have not received rent subsidies for nearly two years.
‘In response to complaints directed to the Municipality of Durrës regarding rent subsidies for families affected by the earthquake, we would like to inform you that, from the time of the natural disaster until March 2023, the rent subsidy was funded by the Ministry of Finance and Economy in accordance with Normative Act no. 9, dated December 16, 2019, ‘For addressing the consequences of the natural disaster.’
Given these circumstances, the Municipality of Durrës has only approved the list of eligible residents through a decision by the municipal council,’ the institution explains.
However, the Municipality of Durrës does not provide an answer on whether citizens will receive the overdue rent subsidies.
‘Through letter no. 5897 from the Ministry of Finance and Economy, all municipalities were informed that after March 2023, the rent subsidy will no longer be funded by the Ministry of Finance and Economy and must instead be covered by the Municipality’s budget,’ the response adds.
Residents: We are waiting for the elections to receive our apartments
Bashkim Gjika is one of the residents impacted by the earthquake of November 26, 2019. The earthquake made his apartment in neighborhood 5 in Durrës uninhabitable. Since that night, Bashkim has had no roof over his head. He told Faktoje.al that his new apartment will be in Spitallë, not in his original neighborhood. Additionally, the elderly man shared that only apartment numbers have been assigned to those who will receive homes.
‘The houses haven’t been assigned yet, they’ve only given us the numbers. I’ve only received a 2+1 apartment on paper, not in the neighborhood where I used to live, but in Spitallë. The thing is, they don’t talk to us at all, they don’t give us any information. The houses are finished, I’ve seen them, but the voting hasn’t happened yet for them to hand them over to us. I went one day and saw that they hadn’t installed the water and electricity meters. January has passed, February is here, and we still haven’t received anything,’ says Bashkim, who has been knocking on the doors of institutions for five years without an answer.
Faktoje.al has reported extensively in it’s articles on the broken promises regarding reconstruction in Durrës.
Conclusion
Based on the gathered information, we have determined that the promise made by the Mayor of Durrës, Emiriana Sako, to deliver homes to families affected by the earthquake by January will be categorized as Unfulfilled.
