Jofeh evacuees struggling to find new homes on a tight budget

AMMAN — Families who evacuated the collapsed buildings in Jabal Al Jofeh are due to leave their temporary accommodation today, as the grace period to find new accommodation expires.

Last week, the Social Development Ministry offered the families money to rent their own apartments, but those evacuated say the amount is not enough.

In previous remarks, Social Development Ministry Spokesperson Fawaz Ratrout told The Jordan Times that those who owned the collapsed apartments will get a monthly allowance of JD150 for six months, in addition to JD1,000 for furniture and JD200 for moving expenses.

Tenants will receive JD150 for three months, JD1,000 for furniture and JD200 for moving costs, while those who were evacuated as a precautionary measure but still have their apartments will be given JD150 for three months.

“Representatives from the interior and social development ministries paid us a visit today [Sunday] to tell us that we have to leave tomorrow. The amount of money they are offering us is very little, and the majority could not find apartments for rent,” Haytham Ramadan, one of the evacuees, told The Jordan Times.

With a family of 12 members, he noted that apartment owners he met refused to rent to such a big family, particularly in return of JD150 a month.

“I suggest that the authorities conduct a study of average rents, which [can] reach JD280, even in a [working class] area like Jofeh,” said Ramadan, who used to own one of the collapsed buildings.

Saed Hajj echoed these sentiments, saying that none of the evacuated families has managed to find apartments for the amount offered by the government.

“Each family has at least seven members and needs at least three rooms. How are they supposed to find such apartments with JD150 or even JD250?” he asked.

Hajj noted that the evacuees will meet with MPs on Monday to discuss the issue.

“We want them to understand the obstacles and discuss them with the stakeholders,” he said.

Dozens of families were evacuated earlier last month when three buildings collapsed in the east Amman neighbourhood.

Authorities were initially notifiedthat part of a residential building in Jofeh had collapsed.

Reports said a young engineer from the area saw the cracks in one building and called the Civil Defence Department (CDD), after which he managed to convince the residents to evacuate shortly before the first building collapsed.

The CDD evacuated hundreds from the surrounding buildings, with the help of police and social development officials.

The concerned agencies evacuated dozens of families of more than 380 people and provided them with alternative accommodation upon the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah.

While the families charged that authorities’ “negligence” was behind the collapse, the Jordan National Building Council maintained that arbitrary construction and cesspools were the primary cause.