In recent years, housing costs, and cost of living more broadly, have soared in Israel. In response to this growing crisis, the government approved a budget that included funding to add more apartments to Israel’s public housing system. Despite this, Israel’s Ministry of Housing has not made a single new home available for public housing.

“This move by the Ministry of Housing sends the disabled, the elderly, single mothers, and families to hunt for apartments on their own. It is cynical and unacceptable,” says Danny Gigi – CEO of the Public Housing Forum, which operates with the support of the New Israel Fund, “The Ministry of Housing instills among the families a false hope that they will be able to find and purchase apartments. In reality, the Ministry of Housing and Amidar (the state-owned public housing company) have failed in this task.”