On this page

1. Housing

2. Social services

3. Health care

4. Financial services

5. Quality assurance

Housing

Based on Eurostat, young people in Cyprus leave the parental home late, at an average age of 27.2 years, compared to the 26.2 EU average. The Government of Cyprus has introduced a new unified housing policy (Νέα Ενιαία Στεγαστική Πολιτική) aimed at improving citizens' access to affordable housing, with a particular focus on young people and young couples. These measures collectively aim to enhance housing accessibility, promote community development, and improve the living conditions of citizens across Cyprus. 

The Cypriot Government provided financial assistance to young couples and/or individuals, with the ‘Housing Subsidy Scheme for Young Couples and/or Individuals up to 41 Years Old’, aiming to facilitate their access to housing. The plan was introduced in 2024 with a two-year duration (2024 and 2025). According to the State’s 2-year governance report (‘Απολογισμός ‘Εργου Διακυβέρνησης- Μάρτιος 2023 – Μάρτιος 2025’), published in March 2025, a total of 328 applications were submitted for evaluation since 2024. As the scheme ran until November 2025, no further official results have been published at this stage.

Moreover, in 2024, the Government introduced the ‘Plot Allocation Scheme for Families Based on Income Criteria’, with a duration of 5 years in order to allocate state land mainly in rural, mountainous, remote, and disadvantaged areas/communities, to families, based on income criteria. Priority is given to families that meet the income criteria, to facilitate the building of private owned house. Also, given that the income criteria are met, priority is given based on the family composition (e.g. multi-child families, nuclear families and single-parent family / divorced individuals with parental responsibility for minor children). There are no official records at this stage as the scheme is ongoing.

Furthermore, financial assistance was provided during 2024 and 2025 under the ‘Support Scheme for residents of mountainous and remote communities’ (‘Στήριξη Κατοίκων Ορεινών και Απομακρυσμένων Περιοχών’) upon decision of the Council of Ministers. The scheme is set to offer annual financial support to all Cypriot and European citizens (including workers and/or employees) permanently residing in an owned or rented residence/property in communities with an altitude greater than or equal to 600 meters, provided they have been proven to reside in the community for at least the last two years continuously. There are no official records of the applications received and/ or approved; however according to the State’s 2-year governance report published in March 2025, the Council of Ministers increased financial assistance rate of 20% for eligible beneficiaries in the communities of the Tillyria Region to further support the population, including young people in that area.

In the Republic of Cyprus, due to the Turkish invasion, refugees from Cyprus are entitled to financial support if they meet specific economic criteria without age restrictions (Στεγαστικά Σχέδια).

Social services

The Social Welfare Services (Υπηρεσίες Κοινωνικής Ευημερίας) of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare offer a number of State Institutions (Κρατικά Ιδρύματα), which provide social services to the whole population, including young people. Below, the state institutions that provide shelter, protection and care to  youth (Κρατικά Ιδρύματα Παιδικής και Εφηβικής Προστασίας) are presented:

• Nicosia Youth Hostel for teenage boys: The Nicosia Youth Hostel operates since 1957. It accommodates boys between 13- 18 years of age, who cannot stay elsewhere due to various reasons.
• Youth Hostels for teenage girls: There are 2 Youth Hostels in Nicosia for teenage girls. Also, a Youth Hostel for unaccompanied minor girls is operating in Limassol. The Youth Hostels provide care and protection to teenage girls, 13- 18 years old, who cannot stay elsewhere due to various reasons.
• Unaccompanied minors’ shelters: Reception and shelter facilities for unaccompanied minors exist across the island. According to the Cyprus Refugees Council report on ‘Conditions in reception facilities’, there are four shelters that host unaccompanied refugee children aged 13- 18, including one in Limassol, two in Nicosia and one in Larnaca. These facilities are intended to provide safe accommodation as part of the protection system for unaccompanied minors. The shelters have a capacity of 78 places in total. As of 2024, 74 unaccompanied minors were hosted in these shelters.
• “The Children’s House”: Since January 2018, “The Children’s House” provides a range of services to children who have been victims of sexual abuse and exploitation under the one roof. The Children's House seeks to serve justice in a child-friendly manner while ensuring children’s safety, security, protection and well-being through a multidisciplinary approach.

The management and operation of “The Children’s House” is entrusted to the Hope For Children CRC Policy Center by the Government and the overall oversight of the Children’s House is carried out by the Social Welfare Services in co-operation with competent services. The Children's House is funded by the Social Welfare Services of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, and it operates with the direct and systematic cooperation of the Cyprus Police, the Social Welfare Services, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth.

According to the data released by Hope for Children, since its establishment in 2017, the Children’s House has received 3,019 child referrals, while in 2024, 438 children were referred to the Children’s House as victims of sexual abuse. The average age was 12 years, with 14 being the most common. Most children (70.8%) held Cypriot citizenship. Further research and data will be collected under the ‘National Strategy and Action Plan to Combat Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation and Child Pornography 2025 -2028’ (‘Εθνική Στρατηγική και Σχέδιο Δράσης για την Καταπολέμηση της Σεξουαλικής Κακοποίησης και Εκμετάλλευσης Παιδιών και της Παιδικής Πορνογραφίας 2025-2028’), by the National Council “FONI”.

In addition, the Hope for Children runs the ‘Foster Care Families’ programme, through which foster families are linked to children and/or youth, which are looking for a safe family environment. This is also funded by the Social Welfare Services of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare.

Also, since 2016, the institution of Semi-Independent living is being introduced in Cyprus. The main aim of the institution is the rehabilitation of children, aged 16 years and over, living in institutions (including unaccompanied minors), but also the direct inclusion of children who, for various reasons, cannot be rehabilitated in a foster family or in a child protection institution. The semi-independent living programme operates in collaboration with the Social Welfare Services and the Non-Governmental Organisations Pancyprian Family Adoption Association "Folia Agapis", the Hope for Children CRC Policy Center as well as the International Organisation for Migration in Cyprus and CODECA. According to the Cyprus Refugees Council report on ‘Conditions in reception facilities’, in 2024, 306 unaccompanied minors benefited from the semi-independent living programme.

There is no publicly available data in terms of number of youth hosted in the State premisses, neither further information in terms of the effectiveness of the programmes.

Apart from the above services, the Social Welfare Services offer various other benefits to vulnerable groups of people, including youth, which can be summarized to the following ones:

Minimum Guaranteed Income (Ελάχιστο Εγγυημένο Εισόδημα): Any person whose income and other financial resources are not sufficient to cover his/her basic and special needs, as defined by the Minimum Guaranteed Income Law (Law 109(I)/2014), may apply for the provision of Minimum Guaranteed Income to the Welfare Benefits Management Service of the Ministry of Social Welfare. For young people, aged 18- 28, applicants should be registered in the Public Employment Service. This requirement ensures that young beneficiaries remain active and engaged in labor market.

Material Cover for Applicants for International Protection (Κάλυψη Υλικών Συνθηκών για Αιτητές Διεθνούς Προστασίας) that include: 1) Financial assistance to cover basic needs (food, clothing and footwear), 2) Financial Assistance to cover small personal expenses, including electricity and water costs. 3) Financial assistance to cover rent allowance to the owner of a rented accommodation. 4) Advance Rent Payment.

Financial Assistance Scheme for Former Children in the Care of the Director of Social Welfare Services after the age of 18 for rehabilitation purposes (Σχέδιο Οικονομικής Ενίσχυσης Πρώην Παιδιών Υπό Φροντίδα του Διευθυντή Υπηρεσιών Κοινωνικής Ευημερίας μετά τα 18 τους χρόνια για σκοπούς αποκατάστασης): Provided to youth after the age of 18, this financial aid contributes to smooth socio-professional integration and rehabilitation and their rehabilitation and at the same time is in line with the principles of the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Commission Communication on the European Union Agenda for Rights of the Child, since it creates conditions for the social integration of a vulnerable group of the population.

Health care

The Ministry of Health (Υπουργείο Υγείας), offer several services aimed at supporting young people's health and well-being in Cyprus. These services include:

• Maternal and child welfare centres – Providing support and medical care for infants, children, and mothers. The centres play a central role in implementing childhood preventive health interventions at the community level.
• School Health Care Services – Ensuring students' health through screenings, health education, and first aid assistance. These services are part of the broader National Public Health framework to support safe, healthy school environments.
• Vaccinations and Prevention of Communicable Diseases – Implementing immunization programmes such as the ‘Vaccination Plan for Respiratory Viruses and Introduction of the “Recombinant Monoclonal Antibody” for Autumn–Winter 2025-26 season on the Cyprus Healthcare System’ and the ‘National vaccination program for children and adolescents’. All vaccines in the schedule are provided free of charge to children under the General Health System and to eligible residents.
• Health Promotion, Prevention, and Population Control Services – These services are under the Nursing Services of the Cyprus Ministry of Health and focus on promoting health awareness and fostering healthy behaviors among students, teachers, and school staff. Through structured educational sessions and awareness campaigns, delivered by Health Visitors and Public Health Nursing Officers, these initiatives cover topics such as healthy lifestyles, nutrition, physical activity, mental health, addiction prevention, hygiene, and disease prevention.
• Epidemiological Studies – A dedicated unit, the Unit for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases which runs under the Medical and Public health services (Ιατρικές Υπηρεσίες και Υπηρεσίες Δημόσιας Υγείας), monitors and controls the spread of communicable diseases in Cyprus.

Also, the first centre to support young people and adults who experienced sexual abuse or exploitation in childhood was established in 2023. The NIMA Support and Therapy Centre is a specialised service run by the Cyprus Family Planning Association (CFPA) (Κυπριακός Σύνδεσμος Οικογενειακού Προγραμματισμού) with funding and support from the Ministry of Health, offering free psychological support, social guidance and legal counselling to adults who experienced sexual abuse or exploitation in childhood. Over its first two years of operation, NIMA has supported 65 survivors through individual and group therapy, showing the ongoing need for trauma recovery services and the state’s commitment to helping survivors heal and reintegrate into society.

Financial services

Some of the top-level policy measures regarding financial services accessible to young people in Cyprus are the following:

1. Student Grants: Different Student Grants such as  Scholarships (Φοιτητική Χορηγία) or Allowances  (Φοιτητικά Επιδόματα) are offered on the basis of socio-economic criteria to Cypriot students or students from other EU countries who reside permanently in the Republic of Cyprus or non-EU students who have graduate from Cypriot secondary schools and have at least on parent who is from Cyprus or another EU country. The different grants include: housing allowance per month, board allowance, grant for the purchase of university books and grant for the purchase or upgrade of a computer. The grants are offered by the Ministry of Finance (Υπουργείο Οικονομικών).
2. Family benefits: Family benefits (Επιδόματα Οικογένειας) of the Republic of Cyprus are offered by the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare and include among others Child Benefit, Single Parent Benefit and the Grant for Special Assistance to single mothers for child birth. 
3. Services and Social Benefits for persons with disabilities. These are provided through the Department for Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities and include allowances schemes for people, including young people, with different kind of disabilities. According to the Department’s Annual Report 2024, a total of 14,205 people benefited from all categories of services and social benefits. Beneficiaries are not categorized according to age in the report.
4. The Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) scheme. The GMI scheme is part of the Guaranteed Minimum Income and Social Benefits Law of 2014, which has two basic aims: a) to provide better support to groups who are exposed to the risk of poverty, and b) to improve the operational efficiency of the overall system. The monetary benefits available fall into two basic categories: a monthly payment to bring the beneficiary’s income up to the level of the GMI and monthly housing benefit, either as a rent allowance or as an allowance to cover interest on housing loans. A person may submit an application to become entitled to receive the GMI if certain conditions are met. For young people, aged 18- 28, applicants should be registered in the Public Employment Service. This requirement ensures that young beneficiaries remain active and engaged in labor market.
5. The Unemployment Benefit is provided through the Social Insurance Services to insured employees or optionally insured persons who are employed under any Cypriot employer and are aged between 16 and 63 years old. The benefit is provided for a period of 156 dates and various requirements apply (e.g. days of insured employment, etc.).

Quality assurance

There is a lack of systematic processes for evaluating and monitoring social benefit programmes under specific ministries and departments in Cyprus. Some information is available for certain institutions, such as the Department for Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, which publishes operational data through its annual reports. 

However, most programmes and services, including student grants, family benefits, the Guaranteed Minimum Income, and unemployment benefits, do not have publicly reported quality assurance or evaluation mechanisms. Monitoring and evaluation of some programmes is partially supported through EU funding frameworks, such as the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). It is not available whether systems of quality assurance of these inclusive services exist in Cyprus.