JEDDAH, 19 January 2006 — Saudi Arabia needs at least one million housing units immediately in order to provide decent housing for its poor, says Dr. Yousuf Al-Othaimeen, secretary-general of the King Abdullah Charitable Housing Foundation. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah established the foundation to build low-cost housing units for the poor in various parts of the Kingdom. The foundation, which was established three years ago, has already completed a large number of low-cost housing projects for the poor in various parts of the country. The housing units are provided with all facilities including heath care and education.

Othaimeen said the foundation would build 13,000 housing units in various parts of the country within a few years to meet the needs of the poor. “Studies conducted by the foundation suggests that the demand for housing units is more than anybody imagines,” Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic daily quoted Othaimeen as saying.

He said the government, in cooperation with the private sector and charitable organizations, was making strong efforts to solve the housing problem in the country.

Othaimeen said those deserving of charitable housing units were chosen either by visiting areas lived in by the poor or by applying strict criteria. “There are four criteria: First, the person should be a Saudi; second, he should not have received any loan from the Real Estate Development Fund; third, his monthly income should not exceed SR2,500; and four, there should not be any workers under his sponsorship. Referring to emergency housing units, he said the foundation would build 2,200 houses immediately.

The foundation is now building 135 housing units in the southern township of Mekhwat. According to Wahid Subhi, director of the project, the housing units will be ready for occupation within a few months. Each house contains three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, three bathrooms and a small storeroom.

The project also includes a girls school, a mosque and a center for vocational training.

Othaimeen said the king had donated land worth SR2 billion in Madinah to the foundation. He estimated the total area of the land at five million square meters. It is located between the Prophet’s Mosque and the Madinah airport.

King Abdullah ordered a national strategy to fight poverty in the country after visiting a Riyadh slum three years ago when he was crown prince. He set aside SR2 billion from the budget surplus for the low-cost housing scheme.