The dynamic launch of the “Neighbourhood Nannies” programme, the new “Renovate” programme for renovation and home ownership, as well as the Early Childhood Intervention programme were mentioned by the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Domna Michaelidou, speaking on ERT’s “Connections” programme.

On the “Neighbourhood Nannies”, the Minister noted that the ntantades.gov.gr platform has already recorded more than 30,000 visits within the first two 24 hours of its operation, confirming the increased interest of families in the programme. The platform has been opened for the registration of curators across the country.

The programme is for infants and toddlers from 2 months to 2.5 years old and allows not only professionals to participate, but also persons from the family’s familiar environment, such as grandparents, if they meet the requirements. Each carer can look after up to three children with parental consent, receiving up to €1,500 a month in earnings per month.

The financial support for families will amount to €500 a month for full-time or self-employed parents and €300 a month for part-time or job-seeking parents, covering the curator’s work stamp.

The discussion then moved on to housing, with the new “Renovate” scheme at the top of the agenda. The program aims to both return foreclosed homes to the market and improve homes used for homeownership. Michailidou said the program opens first for closed properties and, a few weeks later, for residential properties.

The Minister stressed that the new “Renovate” scheme is the result of systematic negotiations with the European institutions, so that there are extended income criteria and special care for families, families with three children, single-parent families and persons with disabilities. The subsidy can reach up to 95% of the cost, with basic funding of up to €36,000 per home and an additional €5,000 for each child, reaching up to €46,000 for a family with two children. The programme applies to old houses of up to 120 sq m, built before 1990, and is not limited to energy upgrades.

“With the new “Renovate” we are taking an important step to increase the number of available homes on the market, but also to improve homes in which families already live. We are not talking about superficial interventions, but about real renovations that make a house decent, functional and sustainable,” Michailidou pointed out.

In conclusion, she referred to her visit to Chania and the open experiential event “We start TOGETHER, early” for Early Childhood Intervention. As she stressed, this is a program that is being implemented for the first time in our country and supports children up to 6 years old who are facing or may experience developmental difficulties, as well as their families, through personalized services and vouchers up to 800 euros per month.

The Minister of Social Cohesion and Family stressed that already 2,500 children across the country are participating in the programme, which does not wait for the problem to grow, but supports the child and family from the early years of life, where early care can make the biggest difference.

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