A 29-year-old single mother of three was overjoyed when a charity in Jeddah offered to pay her rent for an entire year after she could not pay for her family's stay at the Dar Al-Diafa shelter.

Faisal Al-Hameed, director general of Charity Warehouse, said the organization secured a sum of SR14,000 to cover the year’s worth of rent for a house in the Al-Baghdadia district since she could not afford to pay.

“The only source of income for the family is the SR800 paid by social insurance, which cannot possibly cover rent and the cost of living. The mother and children faced eviction,” Al-Hameed told Arab News.

He said the charity put the family under its “distress assistance scheme,” where the establishment provides immediate relief in emergency situations based on data provided by the emergency investigations committee.

He said the program extends immediate relief to families and individuals in need. “The social investigation unit evaluates the condition of beneficiaries and their eligibility for continued emergency assistance,” he added.

Al-Hameed said the charity secured lodgings for 100 families, mostly Saudi, in similar situations. “Data on beneficiaries is updated periodically,” he said.

He said social investigations are then carried out to ascertain the real needs of beneficiaries on the ground. “Emergency investigation committees work through seven centers in Jeddah, but more effort is concentrated in the poorer neighborhoods.”

Al-Hameed said Charity Warehouse conducts annual investigation to ensure accurate and up-to-date data.

“This is done to define the services needed by each individual family according to the programs available at the warehouse. We embark on such initiatives through the help of high-net-worth philanthropists,” he said.

Charity Warehouse in Jeddah works to build strategic partnerships with both private and public sector entities and seeks to realize a national vision of having a sustainable social development project.