Most of them say they are sick and struggling to lead a decent life. They rely heavily on philanthropists and charity societies to fulfill their daily requirements. These women on social security say their monthly allowances are quite insufficient to meet their expenses.

They have to set aside a major chunk of their allowance to buy medicine. Many of them are living in accommodation with inadequate ventilation as well as poor hygiene and sanitation.

These old buildings do not have adequate safety measures or security guards. They offer little protection from pests such as insects and rodents. As a result, illness and disease are rampant, especially among those who are most vulnerable.

Every morning, the occupants are seen eagerly waiting for the arrival of some philanthropists and charity workers with cash and food packets for them.

Speaking to the newspaper, Amina Haroun, an occupant living in a shelter, expressed fear that her building might collapse at any moment. “I have been living in this old dilapidated building with no safety measures for more than 20 years. I spent the lion’s share of my social security allowance to buy medicine,” she said. The 60-year-old Saudi woman also pointed out the dismal condition of her dark congested room with crumbling walls.

Echoing the same view, Sayyida Saeed said that she was forced to seek asylum in this building after having abandoned by her children. “I get a monthly allowance of SR800 from the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI). It is quite insufficient even to buy medicine,” she said. The 70-year-old woman is a chronic patient with hypertension and diabetes and suffers from back pain.

Umm Omar, who has lived at the Badeeb shelter for nearly 12 years, said her accommodation had poor facilities and maintenance. “We are afraid of using electrical appliances that are worn out, old and damaged. The dusty rooms are full of flies and insects,” she said.

Young and middle-aged women also live in these homes. Umm Jannah is a young divorcee who started living in the shelter home with her one-month old girl Jannah.

“After my divorce, my family was ready to take me back but they demanded that I should abandon the baby and come alone,” she said.

Umm Jannah said she managed to get admission at the protection home after the intervention of the National Society for the Human Rights. “The life at a shelter home is like that of a prison. To lead a solitary life in this way is intolerable,” she said.

Commenting on the issue, Abdul Samad Muhammad, member of Al-Ihsan Society for Human Care and village chief (Omdah) of Harrat Al-Yemen and Al-Bahr, told the newspaper that the society took the initiative to improve the conditions of a number of old and dilapidated shelter homes in the downtown Balad area.

“The society urged the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments to take the initiative to improve the conditions of these shelter homes. The society’s women’s wing is making periodic visits to these shelters in order to distribute medicine to the elderly and sick inmates of these homes,” he said, adding the society in coordination with Al-Bir Charitable Society and Al-Faisaliyyah Society is exerting every effort to extend services to these weaker sections of society as well as improve facilities at these shelters.

Abdullah Al-Tawi, director general of Social Affairs in Jeddah, unveiled plans to conduct a survey to count all shelter homes in Jeddah as part of efforts to register all occupants under the GOSI security scheme. He said that maintenance of the shelter homes comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments and not with that of the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Meanwhile, Fohaid Al-Barqi, director general of the Department of Endowments and Mosques in Jeddah, said his department is not extending support in cash and kind to occupants of shelter homes. “It is the collective responsibility of society as a whole,” he said, adding there are 62 shelter homes in Jeddah.