Reports | 20 07 2024
rozana
The Syria Response Coordination Team conducted a needs assessment of the new people arriving in northern Syrian, from the beginning of 2024 until mid-July, which included more than 17,000 people. The results of the needs assessment highlight that the most significant needs are finding housing and job opportunities.
17,643 (52% and 48% women) from different segments of society participated in the needs assessment and the Syria Response Coordination Team said in a statement on Facebook on Saturday that the most prominent needs were:
“Providing urgent housing, especially with the soaring renting prices in the area, lack of shelter, in addition to securing job opportunities through individual projects or joint ventures to secure livelihoods.
Hundreds of Syrian families are returning to northern Syria, either from Lebanon or Turkey, because of "deportation or voluntary return", especially in recent months, amid the tightening restrictions on Syrian refugees exercised by the authorities in both countries.
Syrians coming from Lebanon and Turky to northern Syria demanded an end to the violations committed by the Syrian regime and Russia in the region to achieve complete stability.
They also called for an increase in the number of hospitals and medical points in the region, especially in areas far from major cities.
In late May 2024, the Syria Response Coordination Team warned that further funding cuts in NW Syria will include 85 medical facilities by the end of June, calling for the return of funding to the medical facilities.
Other needs include increasing the working hours of water stations, increasing the production quantity of bakeries, and reducing the price of bread.
New arriving Syrians also called for the restoration of schools and educational facilities in villages and towns to accommodate more children within the educational stages.
Rents in the north
Recently, there has been a high demand for renting houses in northern Syria, due to the deportation of hundreds of families and “the voluntary return” of many from Turkey and Lebanon.
Rozana inquired about rental prices in some areas of northern Syria, through some real estate workers.
Abu Muhammed, who works in real estate in the city of al-Dana, north of Idlib, told Rozana: “There is great pressure on recently rented houses, explaining that the price of renting a 2-room apartment is equivalent to 75 USD, whereas renting 3-rooms is equivalent to 100 USD, pointing out that the low-income rate is not proportionate with the renting prices.”
The average daily income of a worker in the region is between 150 and 300 TL, equivalent to 9.3 USD.
Abu Muhammed pointed to the high rate of buying houses in al-Dana and Sarmada during the last two months, from relatives residing in Turkey.
He explained that: “The price of a 2-rooms apartment is between 7,500 and 9,500 USD, while the price of a 3-room apartment ranges between 11,000 and 17,000 USD.
Renting prices are even higher in Azaz
In Azaz, prices seem slightly higher than al-Dana and its surroundings, ranging between 40 and 200 USD, according to a real estate specialist, while a furnished house is rented for 300 USD.
He explains that: “Many families and young people returning from Turkey have no money and no ability to rent, especially forcibly deported ones. Their money remained in Turkey, and some are forced to sleep in mosques due to the dire financial situation.”
Many Syrians returning to areas in NW Syria complain of a lack of job opportunities and soaring rents, according to testimonies of people who have recently told Rozana.
In early June 2024, Syria Response Coordination issued a report stating that: “The poverty line in NW Syria rose to 10.378 TL, while the extreme-poverty line reached about 9.000 TL, pointing out that families below the poverty line are 91.16%.
The average unemployment rate among civilians during the month of May reached 88.79%, while the minimum wage was between 90 and 145 TL per day.