MPs have questioned the HDB’s Interim Rental Housing (IRH) scheme in Parliament, claiming that large families were assigned just one flat.
In response, Maliki Osman, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of National Development, said the HDB will take on a more active role in pairing households under the scheme, while exercising greater foresight in running the programme. The housing agency said it will consider factors such as religion, race and family size when pairing families.
He noted that the IRH “is not a permanent feature” and acknowledged that “the co-sharing arrangement is not preferred. But it is manageable, provided the tenants exercise tolerance, consideration and respect.”
The Ministry hopes to help families move to permanent homes, while working with the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to make sure the welfare of children in IRH flats are adequately protected.
Launched in 2009, the IRH scheme was introduced to help needy families by providing them with temporary housing at subsidised rates, while a more permanent housing solution was found. Currently, there are more than 1,000 rental flats under the scheme.
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