Approximately 1,000 people are expected to become beneficiaries of all the options of the “First House” program by the end of 2018 even if the figure now stands at slightly over 300, secretary of state at the Ministry of Finance Ion Chicu was quoted by IPN as saying in the talk show “Reply” on Prime TV channel.

Ion Chicu said that by 20-30 loans a week are released at present, but the figure is projected to start to grow in autumn. “I think the number of loans provided within the “First House” program will come to about 1,000 by the end of 2018 and this is not a small number,” he stated, anticipating that about 5,000-7,000 families could receive loans as part of this program annually in the future.

He noted that about 200,000 people work in the budgetary sector and many of these are not entitled to such home loans given their age and the fact that they already own a home. About 20% of the total number of budget-funded employees could become beneficiaries of this program.

Economic expert Gabriela Cuneva said the program is beneficial, but could be insufficient as it could cover a much lower number of families than the number of those who need a home. It is not clear for how long this program will last as there is no concrete plan as to its length.

Marina Curtiș, beneficiary of the program, said her family has never had a home of their own and they welcomed the possibility of acquiring an apartment. Until now, they could not buy a home in the lending conditions provided by the Moldovan banks as they didn’t have a security and the first installment. “I cannot say what the scale of the project will be in the country, but for our family this means a lot of joy and positive emotions,” she stated.

The “First House” program was launched in April. Over 300 home loans have been released within this program so far. This is about 40% of the home loans provided in Moldova. The applications to get such a loan are submitted exclusively online, through the agency of an information system.