AKEL MP Argentoula Ioannou has publicly raised concerns about the living conditions of a grandmother and her grandson, alleging that they are living in a container without access to basic amenities including water and electricity.
In a social media post accompanied by video footage, Ioannou said the family lost their home and property to a bank and are now living with limited belongings in a container situated among stacked containers on a plot of land.
Expressing frustration with what she described as official inaction, the MP wrote:
"We are waiting for the welfare state to show some sensitivity. To cry. At the very least, to be ashamed."
According to Ioannou, authorities were informed about the family's circumstances a week ago.
"Since last Thursday, they have been informed about these images of destitution involving a grandmother and grandson who were driven out after the bank took their home and property. They are now living with their few belongings in a container. You read that correctly. In a field of stacked containers. Two storeys high."
"Without water, electricity or a bed"
Ioannou described what she said were extremely difficult living conditions.
"Without water, therefore without a bathroom or sink. Without electricity, therefore without light or a refrigerator. And without a bed."
She added that a dilapidated structure had effectively been turned into a bedroom.
In a pointed remark, she wrote:
"Perhaps they like the idea and are thinking of taking in more homeless people and telling us they have housed them in two-storey homes. A new housing policy."
Appeal to deputy minister
The MP also directly invited the responsible deputy minister to visit the site.
"Come, Deputy Minister, and let me take you down the dirt road leading to the containers, the road of misery, so you can see the legacy of the government you inherited."
She said that at the end of the road officials would encounter:
"An impoverished grandmother and a young man waiting for the state since last year."
The post ended with another sharp comment about the reported conditions on site.
"Wear closed shoes, long trousers and long sleeves so the rats and mosquitoes do not get you. I hope the residents of the road of misery are still alive by the time you arrive."
The post has renewed attention on housing hardship and the adequacy of state support for vulnerable individuals.
