Families thrilled to get keys to new homes in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: For Fatima Al Muheirbi, the Eid gone by proved to be particularly special. Her husband received word the night before the festive occasion that they would soon become owners of a new home.

“Our family is growing, and we are still staying with my husband’s parents and siblings in a family villa. This new home is therefore a great blessing and comfort to us,” the 32-year-old Emirati mother told Gulf News.

Fatima and her family are just one among 1,000 Emirati families who have been granted new homes in Al Falah Residential Project on the outskirts of the capital.

The distribution follows a decree made by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in August.

The keys and deeds to the new homes were handed over from Monday onwards at the headquarters of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, which has seen crowds of happy beneficiaries queuing up to gain access to their new homes.

Nearly 70 per cent of the entitled beneficiaries have already completed the required procedures and received their keys, the municipality announced in a statement.

The houses currently being distributed were completed as part of the second phase of the Al Falah City Residential Project, which is part of the Urban Planning Council’s Emirati Housing Programme. Another 1,000 houses were also distributed in August.

In total, 4,857 villas are expected to be built across 12.5 million square metres in Al Falah, along with the Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mosque that will be able to accommodate 2,000 worshippers at a time.

A representative from the Abu Dhabi Centre of Housing at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs earlier told Gulf News that beneficiaries are selected based on their level of need for new housing.

“Emiratis can apply for a house at any time, and we receive thousands of applications each year. When selecting recipients, the Ministry prioritises divorced women and widows over the age of 30 years with children, then divorced women and widows without children, and then large Emirati families that are needy or in which earning members have special needs,” the representative explained.

Mohammad Al Marzouqi, a 30-year-old police officer, was another beneficiary who was waiting at the municipality for his turn to collect the keys.

“My family and I have been living with my parents and brothers at their villa. But my daughters are growing up and I will be very grateful for the privacy we will have in our new home in Al Falah,” Al Marzouqi said.

Umm Hamad, whose husband became the owner of a four-bedroom villa, was also very grateful to the UAE leadership for the generous gift.

“I have five children, and they will now be able to live in a spacious home. I am very happy today,” said the mother who has been with her brother’s family until now.