October 26, 2026
The Health, Labor and Social Affairs Committee held a session today, headed by Representative Bilal Abdullah, and in the presence of the Minister of Social Affairs, Haneen Al-Sayyid, and the General Director of the General Corporation for Housing, Ronnie Lahoud, along with the representatives who are members of the committee.
In his statement after the session, MP Bilal Abdullah explained that the meeting was devoted to discussing housing policy in Lebanon as a basic pillar of social care, especially after the work of the General Housing Corporation stopped for years despite the government support it received during difficult stages. Abdullah regretted that the previous housing loans went to parties that may not be qualified to meet the needs of people with limited income, declaring in return that a “glimmer of hope” began to appear on the horizon through the efforts of the Minister and the follow-up of Ronnie Lahoud and at the insistence of the committee.
Abdullah stressed the need for the state not to evade its responsibility towards housing policy as it is an essential part of meeting the needs of citizens and integrated with the educational, social and economic sectors. He pointed out that the committee heard from the Director General a presentation of the housing plan that bears the minister’s fingerprints, considering it the beginning of a long-term strategy that requires developing an appropriate mechanism to deal with the Bank of Lebanon despite its current faltering.
He also pointed out that there is an insistence and confirmation from the members of the committee to direct any future housing loan exclusively through the General Housing Corporation, and to seek to increase the allocations allocated to it in the general budget, indicating that the discussion also touched on housing loans and solar energy loans, amidst a difference in the views of the representatives, which will be studied, while stressing that the absolute priority is to launch a housing policy directed to people with limited income as a “national mission.”
For her part, Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Al-Sayyid thanked the committee for the invitation, noting that it is the first time that a housing strategy has been developed as a right for every Lebanese citizen. She explained that work on this strategy – which is divided into short, medium and long-term stages – began months ago under the leadership of the Director General of the Housing Corporation and in cooperation with partners from other institutions who provide their observations and visions.
Al-Sayed revealed, based on the research center’s statistics, that the cost of housing destruction resulting from the recent war and before is about $7 billion, which calls for action to help those affected as an essential part of social policy. She acknowledged that the amount noted for the Housing Corporation in the 2025 budget is insufficient, but it represents a starting point, stressing that during the budget discussions, she seeks to increase the allocations allocated to housing loans directed to individuals and families with limited income.
