MPs approve higher unsafe homes grant

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A call to raise support for repairing unsafe homes to BD20,000 was approved by Parliament after MPs heard that the current grant no longer covers repair costs for many low-income families.

The proposal, put forward by MP Mohammed Mousa, concerns the home restoration scheme run by the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture.

It calls for the private sector to help fund the increase, lifting the grant from BD10,000 to BD20,000 for those who qualify.

Mousa told the chamber the scheme had been running for more than 15 years, but rising building material prices and higher contractor charges had left the current amount too low to cover the repair of damaged homes.

He said the aim was to bring in private-sector funding so the grant could be doubled and families could better meet the real cost of repairs.

Scheme

The scheme is for citizens earning less than BD600 a month and is meant to improve living conditions in older homes that pose health and structural risks.

MPs heard that many families now struggle to carry out repairs properly because the grant falls short of the real cost.

In its reply, the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture said it had no objection to moving ahead, so long as there was community backing and private-sector support through coordination with the Capital Trustees Board and municipal councils.

Support

The ministry said it continues to support the Cities and Villages Development Project as one of the schemes aimed at meeting the needs of Bahraini families.

It said the project, running since 2006, had helped repair more than 3,000 homes and provided rain insulation for more than 8,000 homes across the kingdom in cooperation with municipal councils.

The ministry added that it would use all available resources to carry out the work in line with approved plans and hopedfor aims.

Proposal

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it had earlier received a proposal on private-sector support for work linked to traditional markets and Manama Souq, and had written to the Bahrain Association of Banks, which responded positively.

Chamber representatives suggested linking the two proposals to draw on that experience, and called for a specialist body to be formed to shape the plan, follow it up, oversee it and assess its performance.

According to the explanatory memorandum, the unsafe homes restoration scheme is one of the government’s main housing support programmes for families on limited incomes.

Inflation

But higher inflation and a sharp rise in building costs have left the current grant short of the amount now needed for proper repairs.

The proposed increase is meant to help families carry out restoration works properly, improve the state of ageing houses, strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors in social development projects, and cut the health and structural risks faced by those living in such homes.