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Home Today, Gone TomorrowProperty Guru Wed, Aug 8, 2012

In a country publicly defined by wealth and GDP, a good nu ber of people ha!e only the "treet" to call ho e# $he

PropertyGuru%" &heryl $ay report" on the worrying pre!alence of ho ele""ne"" in 'ingapore# 'ingapore i" often hailed by

it" own go!ern ent and tho"e in bu"ine"" a" a financial hub, "ee ingly i une to econo ic i""ue" which plague other

countrie"# (!en a" the (uro)one face" a "e!ere "o!ereign debt cri"i", 'ingapore boa"t" one of the world%" highe"t GDP per

capita and continue" to i pre"" touri"t" and other foreigner" with it" infra"tructure#

*f cour"e, it would be unfair to a""u e that 'ingapore i" ideal only for touri"t" and foreigner"# $he go!ern ent ha"

enforced law" to en"ure that all citi)en" can li!e co fortably + public hou"ing, in particular, i" "ub ect to a co prehen"i!e

"et of rule" and regulation" to encourage ho e-owner"hip# .o e loan", grant" and "che e" are a!ailable to fir"t-ti er",

"enior citi)en" and low-inco e hou"ehold"# In Parlia ent earlier thi" year, Deputy Pri e /ini"ter and /ini"ter for

inance $har an 'han ugaratna uttered the infa ou" word" *ur enhanced hou"ing grant" for lower inco e fa ilie"

are "uch that a fa ily with a onthly inco e of a" low a" '31,000 can now purcha"e a " all flat#

$he re"ulting bac4la"h wa" telling# In an affluent country li4e 'ingapore, where e!eryone i" pro i"ed a roof o!er hi" head,

one ay not thin4 being ho ele"" i" a a or i""ue# In fact, for er /ini"ter /entor 5ee 6uan 7ew once proclai ed, 7ou

go down ew 7or4, 9roadway# 7ou will "ee the beggar"###where are the beggar" in 'ingapore:

9ut "ee ingly contradictory i" /ini"ter for (n!iron ent and Water ;e"ource" to 200?, the /ini"try of &o unity De!elop ent, 7outh and

'port" @/&7' pic4ed up an annual a!erage of 8B beggar"# $he /&7' web"ite "tate" 9egging i" an offence in 'ingapore

under the De"titute Per"on" Act# 'ingaporean" in financial di"tre"" do not ha!e to beg# $hey can approach the &o unity

De!elop ent &ouncil", a ily 'er!ice &entre" or gra""root" organi"ation" for help#

De"pite thi", /&7' reported pic4ing up C8? ho ele"" people in 2011, e cluding tho"e it ay ha!e i""ed and tho"e already

in ho ele"" "helter"# International new" networ4 Al Ea)eera cau"ed a "tir in 2010 when it reported on a 'ingaporean couple4nown a" 'a iah and (ddie, who had apparently lo"t their ho e" in di!orce proceeding" and were unable to rent due to

go!ern ent hou"ing policie"# In it" !ideo entitled Go!ern ent Policie" orce 'o e *nto $he 'treet", it wa" al"o alleged

that tented co unitie" in 'ingapore are raided by go!ern ent authoritie" when di"co!ered#

Dr# 9ala4ri"hnan di"puted the"e finding" in Parlia ent In 'ingapore, we ha!eFcheap affordable rental hou"ing a" well a"

hea!ily-"ub"idi"ed fir"t-ti e entry into ho e-owner"hip# $he peopleFwho in"i"t on "taying in beache" and par4" are not

fir"t-ti er"# $he"e are people who ha!e al o"t alway" "old their "econd or third flat @and ha!e unfortunately di""ipated

the "ub"idie" and ca"hed the and now ha!e run into proble "#

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Whether or not Al Ea)eera%" report wa" indeed factual i" "till unclear# 9ut the "tati"tic" beg the ue"tion of u"t how "eriou"

the ho ele"" "ituation in 'ingapore i"#

(G5(&$(D *; (GA$(D:

Andrew 5oh, !olunteer and (ditor-in-&hief of Public.ou"e#"g, a web"ite which publi"he" article" about "ocial i""ue" and

"ignificant e!ent" in 'ingapore, told $he PropertyGuru $here are !ariou" rea"on" why people beco e ho ele"", "uch a"

the inability to "er!ice their ortgage loan" becau"e of une ploy ent, ill-health or di!orce# Whether the nu ber will ri"e

depend" on !ariou" factor"# .owe!er, the fact that ational De!elop ent /ini"ter 6haw 9oon Wan ha" pledged to build

"o e 10,000 new rental flat" "how" that the proble i" !ery "eriou"#

Intere"tingly, ore co prehen"i!e "tati"tic" on ho ele""ne"" in 'ingapore are una!ailable# 9ut according to 5eong ')e

.ian, Pa"t Pre"ident of the 'ociety of inancial 'er!ice Profe""ional" and founding ad!i"or of the inancial Planning

A""ociation" of 9runei and Indone"ia, 'ingapore%" ho ele"" "helter" are alway" full, to the point where "o e of their

occupant" are e!icted#

5oh, who ha" wor4ed with and reported on ho ele"" i""ue", partially confir ed thi"# $here are only three go!ern ent-

funded ho ele"" "helter" in 'ingapore, each with a capacity of about H0 people# $hi" i" gro""ly inade uate, e"pecially when

any ho ele"" fa ilie" ha!e children# I% not aware of e!iction fro ho ele"" "helter" but the ho ele"" I ha!e co e

acro"" are gi!en three- or "i - onth period" of "tay# After that, they are e pected to find alternati!e"#

Interi rental hou"ing i" al"o in"ufficient# 5oh opine", I ha!e "een en bloc flat" + "uch a" at $iong 9ahru + rented out to

foreigner" and e pat"# Perhap" the go!ern ent could re"er!e the"e for ho ele"" 'ingaporean" in"tead#

While any of 'ingapore%" ho ele"" were fro the lower "trata of "ociety to begin with, the go!ern ent ha" it"elf ad itted

that it" dependence on foreign labour ha" depre""ed wage"# urther ore, certain law" "ee to wor4 again"t le"" pri!ileged

'ingaporean"# 5oh "aid 'o e law" and regulation" need to be changed, "uch a" tho"e for di!orcee" or "ingle parent", a"

well a" .D9%" rental policie"# *ne of the i""ue" we%!e encountered i" that the .D9 will not pro!ide you hou"ing if you%!e

recently "old your flat# 7ou ha!e to purcha"e fro the open ar4et# With price" a" they are, thi" i" i po""ible for any, let

alone the ho ele"" and poor#

Indeed, the affordability of public hou"ing in 'ingapore u"t be called into ue"tion# *ne ay wonder why, if .D9 flat"

are a" affordable a" our ini"ter"% "ay, do any flat owner" ha!e to put their retire ent "a!ing" in the red by u"ing o"t oftheir &P to finance their ortgage"# Additionally, go!ern ent ea"ure" to control ho e price" ha!e not been !ery

effecti!e though the edian price of new ho e" fell three percent year-on-year in 2, the edian price of non-landed

re"ale ho e" ro"e "e!en percent o!er the "a e period#

While 9$* @9uild-to-*rder flat" are con"tantly being launched, with at lea"t 20,000 to be built ne t year, not all

pro"pecti!e buyer" are fir"t-ti er" and not all fir"t-ti er" can afford to wait for the to be built# .ence, they u"t loo4 at

re"ale flat", for which there i" "ub"tantial ca"h-o!er-!aluation @&*< and who"e price" are e!er increa"ing, co pounding

the i""ue of unaffordability#

A" 5oh "uccinctly put" it $he .D9 need" to be ore co pa""ionate# =lti ately, the go!ern ent need" to addre"" two

i""ue" wage" and e ploy ent opportunitie", and flat price"#

I age Photo courte"y of $i othy 'i ;elated 'torie" .ougang to finally get upgrading wor4"

'ingapore to beco e a city in a garden =;A

=;A grant" pro!i"ional per i""ion to "e!eral pro ect"

More from PropertyGuru:

.ougang to finally get upgrading wor4"

'ingapore to beco e a city in a garden =;A


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=;A grant" pro!i"ional per i""ion to "e!eral pro ect"

Agent%" di"hone"ty co"t" hi '31B,000

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