On Tuesday, 11 Cheshvan 5774, State Comptroller Justice Yosef Shapira released another report providing a wealth of information and criticism on aspects of life and government in Israel. One area addressed in the report is the fact that at least 2,500 families are seeking an apartment, a place to live. He points out that 2,308 apartments among the 63,000 public housing units are rented out as offices for organizations in many cases along with others not entitled to the subsidized housing units, which are intended for couples.

The report adds that as the list of couples waiting for a place to live, the rentals are renewed, often ignoring regulations pertaining to extending a lease and often without even bothering to collect rent. This pertains to Amidar, Amigur, Chalamit and Prazot homes which operate under this framework. The survey relates to apartment from August 2011 to December 2012.

Amidar, which operates the largest number of state subsidized apartments during that period, was renting 83% of its units to people who were not entitled to the lower rent homes. Shapira cited the companies operating these apartments appear to do as they wish while trampling the regulating governing these homes.

A breakdown of the apartments rented during the time period cited shows rentals as follows:

1. 720 apartments are rented to local councils

2. 188 are rented out as shuls

3. 562 are rented out to schools and are used to house talmidim and avreichim

4. 370 are rented out to hospitals for staff housing

5. 231 are rented to government ministries, with over half to the Welfare Ministry to house the homeless

6. 216 are rented to non-profits working to assist the homeless

7. 122 are rented to urban kibbutzim and garinim

8. And more, totaling 2,308 units rented illegally, outside the parameters set for these homes.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)