Riga council backs over €255,000 for repairs to Bauskas Street building
A Riga City Council committee has approved €255,650 in repair grants for 35 owners or tenants affected by the January gas explosion at Bauskas Street 15. Residents have also already received crisis payments and temporary housing.
Riga City Council's Finance and Administrative Affairs Committee approved on Thursday the allocation of €255,650 to residents of the building at Bauskas Street 15, which was damaged in a gas explosion, to fund repairs to their homes.
According to the council's external communications department, the grants will go to 35 owners or tenants of apartments affected by the blast. The municipality's Housing and Environment Department has already issued decisions on one-time repair grants for residents whose homes can still be restored.
A grant, not a loan
Importantly, this support does not need to be repaid — it is municipal financial assistance intended to help people return to their homes, rather than a loan. After a set deadline, the municipality plans to verify that the repair work was carried out in line with the conditions attached to the grant.
Support already provided
Residents have already received other forms of assistance. Riga's Social Service has paid out crisis benefits totaling €77,220 to 70 households, while 17 households have received certificates entitling them to food parcels and hygiene products. The Housing and Environment Department has received 25 applications for emergency assistance, and temporary housing has already been arranged for 11 affected residents — some of it in a municipal building on Unijas Street 49, where units have been renovated and furnished with basic necessities.
Future of the building
As one of the apartment owners in the building at Bauskas Street 15, the municipality is also involved in efforts to save the structure itself. A technical inspection has been carried out, a reinforcement plan drawn up, support structures installed, and a conservation plan prepared. At the same time, the city is preparing amendments to raise the amount of repair grants available to residents affected by accidents or disasters, and has proposed national-level changes allowing temporary housing to be provided for up to five years in cases where a multi-apartment building cannot be restored within a year.
The gas explosion in the five-story building on Bauskas Street occurred on January 2 this year, killing two people and injuring two others. Part of the fourth and fifth floors, along with the roof, collapsed, and the building was declared unsafe and closed for use.
