Minister Domna Michailidou announced the new enhanced “Renovate-Rent” program, discussing significant interventions implemented by the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family, with emphasis on addressing the housing crisis, the start of contracting for beneficiaries and services in the Early Childhood Intervention program, and the extension of the deadline for submitting documents in the “Home Accessibility” program.
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What the new enhanced “Renovate-Rent” program provides
Specifically, the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, speaking on SKAI TV, characterized the enhanced “Renovate-Rent” program as a flagship initiative, which she emphasized provides subsidies up to €36,000, with an additional €5,000 increase for each child and subsidies up to 90%, in order to bring vacant homes to the market.
The subsidy reaches up to €300 per square meter for homes up to 120 sq.m. and covers mild energy upgrades and, mainly, renovation interventions, such as kitchen and bathroom replacements, window frame replacement, electrical work, plumbing, and others.
Additionally, the minister emphasized that the goal is to open vacant properties and increase the available housing stock, noting that “this is the third very large program – after ‘My Home 1’ and ‘My Home 2’ – and I am optimistic that it will succeed, as tens of thousands of our fellow citizens are expected to benefit.”
Referring to the Early Childhood Intervention program, Ms. Michailidou noted that 2,500 beneficiaries and 85 providers have been approved and that today the contracting process begins, so that occupational therapists, speech therapists, and psychologists can provide services in the child’s home together with the family.
Each family will receive up to €800 per month for a minimum of 20 sessions per month. It is important, as she emphasized, “that the child doesn’t need to go to therapy, but therapy comes to the child and their natural environment.”
Extension for the Home Accessibility program
Regarding the Home Accessibility program, the minister emphasized that the deadline is extended until February 6, 2026, noting that the state covers up to €14,500 for interventions such as ramps, lifts, and other adaptations that facilitate people with disabilities.
According to Ms. Michailidou, 1,500 people have already received the advance payment, while approximately 2,500 people have applied without having submitted their supporting documents. The minister called on these individuals to complete the process.
Regarding recent polling findings, she noted that more than a year remains until the elections and that the government continues to implement new and targeted programs, from tax reductions to housing policies, aiming to provide relief to citizens, while continuing with even more initiatives.
Michailidou on Karystianos: “Terribly outdated” view on abortions
Regarding Ms. Karystianos’s statements about abortions and creating a new party, the Minister characterized this view as “terribly outdated.” “I say this as a woman, I am ashamed of what I heard. I say this as a mother and as Minister of Equality: it’s not possible, fifty years after the legalization of abortions, to discuss such views again,” she emphasized.
At the same time, she noted that if this is the first political position expressed by Ms. Karystianos, it will be judged by the citizens, adding that to date she has not presented any other political proposal, beyond wishful thinking and generalities about transparency. “Who doesn’t want transparency?” she remarked characteristically, emphasizing that “others might want popular tribunals. We believe in proper courts and institutional Justice.”
