http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=179750&contrassID =2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
Cost of dollar creates housing crisis for Ethiopian immigrants
By Yair Sheleg
The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption is concerned that new immigrants from Ethiopia are going to face a housing crisis. Because of the high cost of the dollar, veteran immigrants are unable to utilize the mortgages being offered them to buy permanent apartments and thus to leave absorption centers, ministry officials say. This means that dozens of new immigrants arriving every week from Ethiopia will have nowhere to go.
There are currently some 8,000 Ethiopian immigrants in the absorption centers, making them almost full to capacity, the ministry spokesman said. At the same time, between 80 and 100 immigrants are arriving every week from Ethiopia, and there is pressure for even greater numbers to come.
Deputy minister Yuli Edelstein believes some 4,000 immigrants will arrive from Ethiopia during 2002.
The Ethiopian immigrants are given a housing loan of $100,000 of which 95 percent is a grant. However, the loan is in shekels and the dollar rate is calculated according to NIS 3.6 since it has not yet been adjusted. The immigrants thus receive NIS 360,000 - which today is equivalent to some $75,000 - and therefore many do not have enough to buy an apartment now.
Edelstein said that budgetary difficulties make it impossible to raise the amount granted at this time but that he hopes to make a temporary financial arrangement, specifically for those immigrants who are hard hit by the rising dollar and who would otherwise be able to leave the centers.
Edelstein said that, if the absorption centers are not vacated by the veteran immigrants, the ministry will have to rent hotels to serve as absorption centers. These are neither suitable for accommodating families of immigrants nor less expensive than helping people to leave the absorption centers, he said.