UAE’s Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme funds $136mn in housing assistance to Emiratis
Approval of applications will support Emirati families and ensure their stability
The UAE’s Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme has approved 609 housing assistance applications for Emirati citizens around the country, valued at $136.1 million, it has been announced.
According to a report by WAM, the approval of applications is in implementation of the directives of HH President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and HH the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The decision aims to support Emirati families and ensure their stability and will be under the monitoring of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the report added.
Approval of the applications was done during a meeting held in Bateen Al Samar in Ras Al Khaimah, which was chaired by Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development and chairman of the programme. The programme’s board members were also in attendance.
Dr Al Nuaimi stressed that the UAE government aims to provide Emirati citizens with decent living standards and noted that the current round of decisions coincides with Eid Al Adha.
Prior to the meeting, the programme’s board members visited the residential area of Bateen Al Samar, which consists of 888 housing units that will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2020. The project is currently 40% completed.
They also reviewed proposals for other housing units’ projects that were presented by their projects directors, and approved several memos relating to improving services and raising work performance.
The programme’s board, led by Dr. Al Nuaimi, then approved a plan to implement a decision issued by the UAE Cabinet to raise the income ceiling of those eligible to receive housing support from Dh10,000 to Dh15,000, to increase the number of beneficiaries.
Also approved during the meeting was a proposal to link the “Hassantak”, a centralised smart fire alarm system introduced in buildings and villas, to future housing units. Adopting the system will ensure the construction of future units as per required technical standards, in implementation of the UAE Government’s directives to launch safety initiatives, the report said.
The programme has approved 2,336 housing assistance applications for Emirati families since the start of 2019, valued at around $490 million.
