Asharqia Chamber organized a workshop entitled "the Development of Housing Activities" within the activities of the Real Estate and Housing Committee, were directed by the Committee's Chairman Hamed bin Hamri.
The Director General of the sources of funding for the Housing Development Program at the Ministry of Housing, Yazeed Al-Rasheed, said that the program provides a housing service to deliver 200 thousand units until 2020 through four methods: (prefabricated housing units, the Waqf Housing Fund, construction projects, purchase projects).
Al-Rasheed said, "Development housing is one of the initiatives of the housing program stipulated by the Vision of the Kingdom of 2030 that aims to meet the needs of the most needy groups in the community of housing units and enable them to own suitable homes or use them according to their needs and financial capacity."
Therefore, this will raise the social safety and achieve the aspirations of the Vision of the Kingdom, the empowerment of NGOs, the provision of operating expenses, enabling social responsibility, strengthening Islamic values and national identity, developing and diversifying the economy, increasing employment rates and enhancing government effectiveness.
He pointed out that the 200 thousand housing units has been approved by the Council of Ministers to set a budget for the provision of public benefit, where needy families live for a with an amount of 200 riyals per month and no more than 800 riyals according to the financial situation.
So, that when the conditions of the family will improve, either the unit will be owned or handed over to the Ministry to be made available to another family.
He said that the program works within an integrated system that includes the government sector and the private sector (through social responsibility programs) as well as charities, donors.
He suggested to sign partnership agreements with more than 225 civil associations spread across all regions and governorates of the Kingdom.
He stressed the Ministry's keenness to ensure that this service is addressing those who are entitled.
Therefore, the Ministry has coordination with all concerned parties, as most needy families' data were based on the Ministry of Labor and Social Development.
On the proposed projects to be implemented by the Program, Al-Rasheed said that the first projects are (housing units), which are ready-made housing units provided by the Ministry of Housing for the neediest families throughout the Kingdom.
Secondly, (the Endowment Fund), which is an endowment investment fund that offers a public offering.
The Waqf Fund invests both in kind and in cash in various investments.
It benefits from the Fund's revenues to provide housing units for the most needy families by obtaining the necessary permits from the General Authority of Endowments and the Capital Market Authority.
He explained that the project in case of the contribution of sectors of 400 million riyals will contribute to the provision of 80 housing units per year.
Among the proposed projects to be implemented are (the construction projects), where a donor can contribute cash in the cost of (construction), or contribution in kind.
(The purchase projects), i.e., a cash donation to contribute to the cost of purchasing a residential unit or project, or to make an in-kind donation of a ready-made unit or units.
He said that the legitimate leave obtained by the project requires the benefit of Zakat in such a project.
He stressed that the program, which targets the most needy groups, do not seek to create any differences between the groups.
Indeed, all housing projects are similar, as it is not distinguished from the Housing Development Program from other initiatives of the Ministry.
