The rising proportion of Malay families living in Housing and Development Board (HDB) rental flats has become a growing concern for the community. The 2020 Population Census found that the number of Malay households in one- and two-room HDB rental flats has more than doubled, from 9,100 in 2010 to about 18,600 in 2020. Those living in rental households include elderly couples, families with divorced or separated parents and those who are unable to purchase a flat. This is a worrying trend as long-term stay in rental housing may cause families to lose the aspiration for home ownership, resulting in generations of Malay families becoming “trapped” into living in rental homes. The social issues that come with living in rental flats also do not bode well for Malay families. Current research warns that long-term stay in rental homes is a barrier to social mobility and may lead to the permanence of an underclass in society. A notable area of concern focuses on those who live in rental flats by choice. As the monthly rental fee system is pegged to household income, some rental flat dwellers have made a conscious decision against taking on better-paying jobs to avoid disqualifying themselves from access to community assistance programmes.
While initiatives such as Project DIAN@M3 have been initiated in response to this phenomenon, there remains the question of whether sufficient support is being given to Malay families to encourage them to attain home ownership.
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