Shack #206 in the Musayelyan 107 territory of Gyumri has become a residence for the Arshakuni Muradyan family.
Grandfather Arshak who has worked as a teacher for forty years, has bittersweet memories of the past and says that it was easier to live a couple of decades ago than now. He has gotten old and his only dream after the earthquake is to have a place to call home.
As Grandfather Arshak says, lifestyles are different. There is no room to move in the six meter shack with humid walls.
"It is very difficult because there is no comfort," says Arshak, 77. "My wife is disabled and we don't even have a bathroom. Never would I have imagined that I would be in such conditions at old age."
The elderly haven't prepared for the winter. It is impossible to take care of expenses and buy fuel with the pension. They are forced to collect the fuel from the street.
Many homeless families living in Gyumri have no fuel. Crossing the 10,000 dram limit for heating the home is luxurious even for families that receive gas and electricity.
The reason is unemployment and the poverty subsidy that is considered the only income, is only enough for bread.
