Supporting and uplifting public rental households

Here’s how the Government is supporting public rental households:

1. Making improvements to rental blocks and flats

Over the years, we have made progressive improvements to our rental flats, to enhance their design and provide a better living environment for our public rental households.

Rental blocks that were built since 2007 are better designed with enhanced natural lighting and ventilation, unlike older rental blocks that have long corridors with units lined on both sides. We have also been building rental flats alongside sold flats, in the same projects and on the same floors.

For older public rental blocks, we keep them in good condition through regular maintenance and upgrading. Older rental blocks will typically be upgraded together with sold blocks, when the entire estate is rejuvenated through HDB’s various upgrading programmes.

We continue to explore new typologies to improve the lived experience for public rental households. For example, we have piloted a new singles public rental housing typology called the Single Room Shared Facilities (SRSF) to give tenants greater privacy. Each tenant will have their own bedroom that comes with basic furnishings, such as a bedframe, table and wardrobe. Amenities like toilets, kitchens, dining areas and laundry rooms will be shared, to make good use of space and to facilitate social interaction.

2. Pairing housing with social support, to help public rental households achieve stability and self-reliance

We also support our public rental households holistically, by pairing housing with strong social support and programming.

One example is the ComLink+ programme where Government agencies and community partners work closely together to provide coordinated support for families with young children living in public rental housing. ComLink+ officers and Family Coaches will journey with them, to understand their goals and develop action plans. Under the ComLink+ Rental Scheme, families will automatically be enrolled in ComLink+ programme, once they apply for a public rental flat and are assessed to be eligible.

3. Uplifting families towards home ownership

Public rental households can count on our support to achieve their home ownership aspirations.

We provide substantial housing grants for lower income households, including public rental households, on top of the significant subsidies that come with new flats. First-timer households can tap on the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant and receive up to $120,000, while second-timer households can tap on the $15,000 Step-Up CPF Housing Grant (SUHG) to purchase a 2-room Flexi or 3-room new Standard or resale flat in the non-mature estate.

Second-timer families with young children living in public rental flats can also tap on the Fresh Start Housing Scheme to own a HDB flat, so they can start afresh in a new home. The design of this scheme embodies the idea of social empowerment – coupling strong Government and community support with commitment and hard work from families. Over the years, we have enhanced the scheme by offering 3-room flats on shorter leases, and increasing the grant amount from $35,000 to $50,000.

HDB’s Home ownership Support Team (HST) can provide one-to-one guidance to our public rental households towards their home ownership journey – from budgeting for their home purchase, until they collect keys to their home.