In winter, we only take the children to the doctors because of the humidity at home. This is what the parent of two children, five and four years old, who do not even enjoy basic living conditions, says. In addition to renting housing, which is at risk of being evicted day after day, the Tahiri family also expresses the need for food items.

Merita Tahiri says that apart from housing, they are unable to provide food or clothes for the children. She shows that due to the weeping of the wall, the rain seeps into the room.

Tahiri says that the municipality has not taken into account requests for help. She says that the biggest need of this family is to secure a house.

"The conditions are very difficult, we don't have them. The children are looking for food and clothes, we don't have them. In winter it is very cold, very cold... The rain comes in there (in the house), it drips, it is cracked. A We have nothing else, the bathroom, nothing else. I have a daughter in the first grade. The daughter is looking for books, we are not able to food stuff how do you do? They give us help. We need to pay the rent. We have nowhere to go. How much do we pay the rent? The most I need is to have a house, to make these children more comfortable and for food. Have you applied for help to the municipality, but nothing has helped us.", says Tahiri.

Merita's husband, Blerim Tahiri, says that during the winter season, due to the cold that enters the house, the children often get sick.

While confessing about the demands of the children, which he is unable to fulfill, Tahiri says that he is not given the opportunity to work.

In addition to these, the head of the family, Tahiri, says that he was denied the right to receive social assistance.

"We came from the village of Koliq (Podujevë). Do you have land there? No. Do you work somewhere? I work privately for a while. Have you tried to enter a regular job with a full salary or are you not in good health? No, I have not Why did they tell me to call you, but you are not able to find a job? No, they are not calling me there is a job, you can work. Yes, I can without a problem... It's just a job, it's not a problem, because in a foreign house it's a problem. Tomorrow the owner will tell me to 'leave the house' go with the children. It's cold, because it's humid here. Do they get sick more in the winter, but they never get sick in the summer. Why don't you get social? Once when we went to fix them (the documents), they said that 'social security is no longer yours'. Did they give you a reason why? No. Then, we didn't go at all", says Tahiri.

Despite the need for social assistance, this family does not even enjoy this right.

According to the data of the Statistics Agency of Kosovo (ASK) during the month of September of this year, there are 18 thousand 745 families with 72 thousand 329 members, which receive social assistance. The number of families living with social assistance has decreased compared to January of this year, since in January 2024, the number of families with social assistance was over 20 families.

Meanwhile, the city of Mitrovica continues to lead with the largest number of social cases, with 1 cases. Then there is Vushtrri, with 819 cases. After these two cities, comes Gjakova with 1 cases and Lipjani with 142 cases. Peja ranks after Lipjan with 990 families, which receive social assistance.

According to KAS, in September 2023, over 20 families with 671 members benefited from the social assistance scheme. Until 81, in the same period, there were over 113 beneficiary families of this scheme.

Meanwhile, in November 2021, 25 thousand 514 families benefited from social assistance, while a year ago, in the same period of 2020, this number was 24 thousand 496. Compared to the following years, in 2015, the number of families that received social assistance was higher, reaching 27 families.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers has announced reforms in the social assistance scheme within this year.

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Agon Dobruna, indicates that those who work will not be excluded automatically, but will receive fewer funds. Meanwhile, those who have no income will benefit more.

The former director of the Center for Social Work (CPS) in Prishtina, Vebi Mujku, considers that poverty can be mitigated through the creation of jobs for this category and not the increase of other aid or alms.

A few days ago, the Minister of Finance, Hekura Murati, announced that 1 families in need will benefit from financial support as part of the piloting of the reform of the social assistance scheme in the first group.

In the context of these changes, Murat points out that members able to work can register at the Labor Agency as job seekers.