The Sharjah Executive Council, SEC, issued Resolution No. (3) for the year 2020 on granting additional qualitative support.

The Resolution stipulates that the following additional qualitative support is granted to those who are socially entitled in the emirate: Homeowner's support, for individuals residing in a home owned by them to manage their home affairs; the bedridden elderly and disabled support for health care costs or to provide a permanent home assistant; and the dependent elderly support to manage their affairs and reduce the cost of needs from their relatives.

According to the articles of the Resolution, the value of the additional qualitative support is estimated at a monthly sum of no less than AED1,000 and not more than AED3,000, and with the total family income not exceeding the income specified in table (1) for the appropriate standard of living accompanying the SEC's Resolution No. 3 of 2018 referred to.

To be granted the additional qualitative support specified in the Resolution, the following is required: The beneficiary of the support must be a citizen who holds the registration and permanent residency of Sharjah, and the marital status research must prove that the citizen deserves to be supported.

The Resolution clarified numerous special conditions, as follows: Firstly, for the granting of support to the head of the house, the following must be met: The head of the house must be fully qualified, must be an owner of the house that he/she lives in, or a tenant, except for the following cases: If a widow who resides in a house belonging to the heirs, and if more than one widow shares the same deceased husband in one house, in which the property is owned by the heirs, the support is divided equally between them.

If orphans from a foreign mother or a deceased Emirati mother reside in one house owned by the heirs, the value of the support is allocated to the orphans according to the conditions of social support, taking into account the presence of a guardian.

If more than one widow of the same deceased husband and all reside in one house, and one of them is bedridden, the value of bedridden support is allocated to her fully. The homeowner's support is divided equally between the rest of the widows, according to the entitlement conditions.

Secondly, to grant support to the bedridden elderly, the following must be met: Must be 60 years old or more, bedridden according to a medical report issued by a competent government entity, a resident of a house or a residential home permanently in the emirate of Sharjah or one of the medical centres in the country, and should not be a recipient of any home nursing services from any entity.

Thirdly, to be eligible for bedridden disabled support, the person must have a disability card (People of Determination) issued by the Ministry of Community Development; 18 years of age and over, unless he is an orphan of the mother or lost social welfare due to reasons related to his career; must be bedridden according to a medical report issued by a competent government entity; a resident of a house or a residential home permanently in Sharjah or one of the medical centres in the country; and should not be a recipient of any home nursing services from any entity.

Fourthly, to be eligible for dependent elderly support, the person must be 60 years old or more, and a resident of his/her family in Sharjah.

Executive instructions and decisions necessary to implement the provisions of the Resolution will be issued by the Director of the Sharjah Social Services Department.

The Resolution will be enforced from the date of its issuance, the entities concerned will each implement it within its competence, and it will be published in the Official Gazette.