In Kyzylorda, a large family with eight children has found itself in a difficult situation. Instead of safe housing, the local authorities offered them a temporary three-room flat in a dilapidated building in the village of Tasboget. The family refused this option, considering it dangerous to live in.
According to Tengrinews.kz, 32-year-old Aisulu Tanatkanova and her husband are raising eight children. The eldest is 11 years old, the youngest is a year and a half. The family officially appealed to the regional governor for help, but in response received an offer to move into a dangerous building.
"The house could be demolished at any moment. The walls are covered in mould and fungus, it's very damp, the water doesn't work, it's unsafe to live there. What's more, they told us we could only stay there for one to two months, and we would have to pay for repairs ourselves," says Aisulu.
The Tanatkanov family are now forced to live in a one-room temporary shack at friends' houses. According to Aisulu, the toilet is outside, there is almost no furniture, and all the children's belongings are stored in backpacks to save space.
"We have a table where we gather and the children do their homework, and we have a fridge. Another problem is that the shack we live in is outside the city limits and very far from the nearest school. It's difficult to take the children, and besides, that costs money too. And winter is ahead," she notes.
The family lives mainly on benefits — 125,000 tenge and a 30,000 tenge supplement for receiving the mother of many children award "Altyn Alqa". These funds barely cover their needs, as a significant portion goes towards repaying loans. The husband gets by with odd jobs.
According to Aisulu, she and her children have been waiting for housing since 2019. Over six years, their place in the queue has moved slowly — the family is currently only 620th in line.
The city housing inspection department explained that state support measures are only provided to those registered as needing housing in the single national database and the "Centre for Housing Provision" ("Otbasy Bank") database.
The department cited Article 69 of the Law "On Housing Relations", stating that citizens are recognised as needing housing if they have not had any for the last five years, or if their only home has been declared dilapidated.
However, the text of Article 69 does not contain any mention of a five-year period. The law specifies other criteria, in particular: "the dwelling in which they reside does not meet established sanitary, epidemiological and technical requirements". A shack with an outdoor toilet formally falls under this criterion.
"Otbasy Bank" reported that veterans, orphans, large families, people with disabilities, and widows have priority when distributing rental and mortgage housing. It was noted that no less than 70% of housing must be provided to these categories.
"If Aisulu Tanatkanova is on the housing waiting list and her family's income meets the requirements for receiving one or another state support measure, then she can qualify for help in solving her housing issue. Aisulu Tanatkanova can also use the system of housing construction savings," the branch of "Otbasy Bank" responded.
To date, over 5,500 large families are registered on the housing waiting list in Kyzylorda.
Incidentally, with help from friends, Aisulu managed to find new rental housing for 80,000 tenge per month plus utilities. However, this option also remains a temporary solution.