About 500,000 Saudi families will be accommodated in 46 housing projects being carried out across the country, the Minister of Housing, Dr. Shuwaish Bin Saud Al-Dhuwaihi, said Wednesday. Al-Dhuwaihi, speaking at the Joint Responsibility Dialogue event organized by Okaz organization at its headquarters here, reiterated the Royal Decree on providing convenient and comfortable housing to citizens. The event titled “A House for Every Citizen” was attended by intellectuals, government officials, businessmen and women, and writers to openly discuss the issue of housing, which, as the minister noted, is quite significant to both the authorities and the citizens. Al-Dhuwaihi said it was important to talk about the subject transparently. He said the housing project, based on the directions of King Abdullah, has always been about quality and not cost. “We have examined hundreds of designs and proposals by various companies. We technically evaluate them and subject them to thorough analysis,” the minister said. “Each unit will have five rooms with an additional room for maid, a large water tank with a capacity of about 24 cubic meters and its own (compound) wall. It will cost around SR550,000,” he said. The units will be only for those who don't already have a house, he added. Al-Dhuwaihi praised a recent decision to include widows and divorcees among those applicable for receiving real estate loans. He clarified that single women too are not excluded. “The loan can be reimbursed over a long duration that can last up to 25 years in the form of monthly payments. This is a suggestion that is currently under discussion,” he said. “There are also recommendations that monthly payments should not exceed one-third of a citizen's salary,” Al-Dhuwaihi added. __
