RIYADH – The Shoura Council on Monday approved the National Strategy for Housing that outlines the mechanism to make housing available for people with special needs, widows, orphans and divorcees who do not have the support of their families. The session was chaired by the Council President Sheikh Abdullah Al-Asheikh, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Yahya Al-Samaan, assistant president of the Council, said that the strategy will be implemented in coordination between the concerned agencies, including the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, and the private sector. The Council stressed that the strategy would address issues such as the financial burdens on citizens, the role of secondary markets in the provision of liquidity, and the role of small and medium enterprises in the provision of housing and risk management. The strategy also emphasizes reviewing the actual underlying demand for housing and the role of vacant units to meet the total demand. Al-Samaan said the Council called for updating the strategy every five years in the light of the five-year development plan. The Council approved the strategy after listening to a report of the committee of Haj, housing and services, read by its Chairman Mufreh Al-Zahrani. The report was prepared after taking into consideration of the opinions and viewpoints of the Council members on the strategy.
