Dubai businesswoman offers rent-free homes to families hit by the pandemic

Saaeda Riaz found temporary homes for 15 families who could not fly home because of travel restrictions

Saeeda Riaz helped needy families to stay at properties rent-free during the pandemic. Grace Guino / The National

A businesswoman in Dubai helped several needy families by providing rent-free homes after residents lost their jobs because of the pandemic.

Saaeda Riaz, 40, from Pakistan, who runs a property management services company, found temporary homes for 15 families who could not fly back to their home countries because of travel restrictions at the time.

Families contacted her through the Helping Hands UAE Facebook group managed by Ms Riaz and her husband.

She used her business contacts to find temporary homes for the families.

“I was able to use some of my own properties to help them while I asked landlords if they were able to offer any aid,” she said.

“We provided temporary accommodation for 15 families who had been hit by the impact of the pandemic.

“They all stayed rent-free and people donated groceries and diapers to help them out.”

Ms Riaz said she was flooded with pleas for help. She gave priority to those who were the most in need.

“We had to ask people to show their documents to prove they had been let go by their employers as well as flight tickets to make sure they were genuine cases,” she said.

“No money ever changed hands. It was always about helping people.”

She said the idea to start her Facebook page came to her late last year before the pandemic struck.

“I saw a Facebook post from a Filipino who couldn’t get a hotel room as they wouldn’t take his papers,” she said.

“I thought, why not step in and help when I was in a position to do so.

“It started from there and we’ve been able to help many families as people and businesses offered donations.”

Filipino Eric Francisco, 33, a tour guide, was one of the many helped by Ms Riaz.

His situation was dire when he was out of work but had to provide for his wife and infant son.

“I lost my job and we were unable to return home because the borders closed,” he said.

“I got in touch with Saaeda who was able to provide us with accommodation in Dubai Marina.

“I had to just show her my letter of termination from my employer.”

Mr Francisco stayed at the property for two and a half months before the borders reopened and the family finally returned to their home country.

“I don’t know what we would have done but thankfully we were able to get the help we needed,” he said.

“We were also given groceries and medicine.”

There were close to 50,000 Filipinos who were repatriated from the UAE to the Philippines since the end of March.

Saad Siddiqui, a real estate broker from Pakistan, was also helped by the Helping Hands project.

Mr Siddiqui’s aunt Parveem and her two children were in Dubai on a visit when the borders closed. They could not afford a lengthy stay in a hotel.

“She couldn’t get back to Karachi because nobody was able to get out of the country and they couldn’t stay with me because I live in a one-bedroom apartment with two others,” said Mr Siddiqui, 25.

“It was a very difficult time for us but thankfully we were able to get help and she had somewhere to stay for a week before she flew home.”

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