Speech by SPS Dr Syed Harun at the Committee of Supply Debate

Mr Chairman, I thank Members for their questions and cuts.

Building an inclusive and cohesive society has always been at the heart of Singapore's public housing story. As Minister Chee mentioned, I will share how we have been and will continue to strengthen housing support for the more vulnerable Singaporeans.

Public Rental Scheme

Let me start with the Public Rental Scheme (PRS) - a vital social safety net for our lower-income and vulnerable households.

Over the years, we have been improving HDB flat designs, including for our public rental flats.

a. Newer rental blocks have better ventilation and natural lighting.

b. We have improved the layout of each unit to maximise usable space.

c. Rental blocks are also better integrated within each estate to facilitate access to precinct facilities.

In fact, today we have rental flats in the same blocks as sold flats - we call these integrated blocks.

a. They create more opportunities for families living in rental flats and sold flats to interact, and contribute to our broader vision of building a more inclusive society.

b. HDB has completed eight such integrated blocks, and another 36 are under construction.

Integrated blocks will form part of the approximately 6,300 public rental flats that will be completed over the next five years.

a. This will increase our total supply of rental flats, while also helping to refresh some of our existing rental stock.

b. It will also further bring down waiting times for rental flats, which have already improved from a high of 11 months during COVID, to an average of 3 months today.

For many of our vulnerable families, the Public Rental Scheme has been an important source of support.

Take Mr Nazri's family for instance.

a. Mr Nazri Zakaria, Ms Nurfitrah Yahya and their four children moved into a 2-room public rental flat in 2020. Back then, home ownership felt unattainable.

b. But agencies stepped in to lend a hand. Their family benefitted from the ComLink+ programme, where MSF works with agencies, including HDB, to provide integrated support to families with children under 21.

c. Alongside this, HDB's Home ownership Support Team, or HST, reached out to Mr Nazri and Ms Nurfitrah, to help them along their journey towards home ownership. Mr Nazri and Ms Nurfitrah shared that the assistance from the HST has been invaluable. While Mr Nazri had secured stable full-time employment as a bus driver to help his family regain their financial footing, home ownership still felt like a distant possibility initially.

d. This was because the decision to purchase a home is indeed a big one. The HST worked through the purchase price of their possible flat options, explaining how much downpayment would be required, as well as the anticipated monthly mortgage repayments. By breaking down the cost, the couple had better awareness of how this could fit within their budget. Home ownership started to seem more attainable.

e. The HST then guided Mr Nazri and Ms Nurfitrah in their flat selection process, and remained an important resource for the family all the way till they collected the keys to their new 4-room flat in Yishun recently.

f. Today, Mr Nazri and Ms Nurfitrah are happy homeowners, and I was also privileged to meet their family at their new home.

I am heartened by Mr Fadli Fawzi's support for the government's efforts in helping lower-income families accelerate their transition to home ownership.

a. Indeed, Mr Nazri and Ms Nurfitrah's story is one of many.

b. In 2025, more than 2,000 of our existing public rental households have booked a flat and are awaiting its completion.

We have been doing even more to support rental households.

a. Last year, we increased the Fresh Start Housing Grant for eligible Second-Timer ComLink+ rental families from $50,000 to $75,000. $60,000 will be disbursed upfront to help the family reduce the mortgage loan required for the flat purchase, and the remaining $15,000 will be disbursed over five years after key collection to support their mortgage payments.

b. We also extended the Fresh Start Housing Scheme to First-Timer ComLink+ rental families. They are now allowed to buy a 2-room Flexi or 3-room Standard flat on a shorter lease, which will be more affordable compared to those on 99-year leases. As first-timers, they are eligible for the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant of up to $120,000 in lieu of the Fresh Start Housing Grant.

c. These enhancements will help empower even more households to achieve home ownership.

d. HDB will also continue to work with rental households individually, as home ownership is a long-term financial undertaking that is best informed by understanding each family's unique circumstances.

Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

Bagi ramai keluarga yang memerlukan, skim flat sewa HDB telah menjadi sumber sokongan penting yang memberikan perlindungan dan kelegaan ketika mereka menghadapi kesempitan.

Saya ambil contoh Encik Nazri dan keluarganya. Saya menemui mereka baru-baru ini ketika mereka sedang membuat persiapan untuk menyambut Hari Raya.

a. Pada tahun 2020, Encik Nazri Zakaria dan isterinya Puan Nurfitrah Yahya, bersama empat anak mereka yang masih kecil, berpindah ke sebuah flat sewa HDB 2-bilik.

b. Mereka mendapat manfaat daripada program ComLink+, di mana MSF bekerjasama dengan agensi-agensi lain, termasuk HDB, untuk memberikan sokongan bersepadu kepada keluarga yang mempunyai anak di bawah 21 tahun. Ia merangkumi bantuan seperti pekerjaan, pendidikan dan juga perumahan.

c. Keadaan bertambah baik apabila Unit Bimbingan Pemilikan Rumah HDB (HST) menghubungi mereka. HST membimbing mereka untuk meneliti bajet pembelian rumah dan pilihan flat mereka, dan menyediakan pelan yang jelas ke arah pemilikan rumah.

d. Kini, melalui pekerjaan yang stabil, usaha bekerjasama dan simpanan yang konsisten, Encik Nazri dan Puan Nurfitrah kini berbangga memiliki flat 4-bilik baru di Yishun.

e. Perjalanan mereka bukan mudah, tetapi ianya dipermudahkan dengan sokongan yang kuat dan berterusan.

Ramai keluarga lain melalui liku-liku kehidupan yang serupa. Pada keseluruhan tahun 2025, lebih 2,000 rumah tangga flat sewa HDB telah pun menempah flat HDB dan sedang menunggu penyiapannya.

a. Usaha kami untuk menyokong rumah tangga flat sewa HDB telah kami perluaskan.

b. Tahun lalu, Geran Perumahan Permulaan Baru bagi keluarga flat sewa ComLink+ yang layak sebagai pembeli kali kedua telah ditingkatkan daripada $50,000 kepada $75,000.

c. Selain itu, Skim Perumahan Permulaan Baru telah pun diluaskan kepada keluarga flat sewa ComLink+ yang merupakan pembeli kali pertama, membolehkan mereka membeli flat Flexi 2-bilik atau flat Standard 3-bilik dengan tempoh pajakan yang lebih pendek.

d. Langkah-langkah ini akan memberi peluang kepada lebih ramai keluarga flat sewa HDB untuk mencapai impian pemilikan rumah sekaligus meningkatkan kesejahteraan keluarga mereka.

While most of our rental households are families, a substantial 40% are singles. Under the Joint Singles Scheme, single applicants must find co-applicants before they apply. We recognise that this can be challenging.

That is why we introduced the Joint Singles Scheme Operator-Run, or JSS-OR pilot in 2021.

a. Under the JSS-OR, applicants can apply individually, and the Social Service Agency that is appointed as the operator will help them to identify a suitable flatmate.

b. Mr Lee Chwee San is one such applicant. He applied alone back in 2022, and New Hope Community Services - the operator for the Bukit Batok JSS-OR site - helped him to find a suitable flatmate.

c. The operator also helps manage tenancy matters, mediates among tenants where necessary, and organises activities to bring tenants together.

d. This has indeed made a difference for Mr Lee, whom I met recently. He had attended a 'lou hei' session organised by New Hope and shared that such activities, which also include games sessions and other festive celebrations, were welcome opportunities to interact and bond with other tenants in the block.

We further expanded options with the Single Room Shared Facilities, or SRSF, pilot in 2024.

a. Under SRSF, tenants have individual bedrooms and access to shared facilities.

Both pilots cater to different preferences, and both have received positive feedback.

a. That is why we launched the first purpose-built SRSF block in October last year, and will scale up both typologies in the coming years. More details will be shared when ready.

Seniors

Another group that we are paying increasingly close attention to is our Seniors.

As Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin highlighted, your housing needs will evolve as you age.

a. Some seniors want to monetise their flat, either by renting their flat out or by selling part of the remaining lease of their flat back to HDB.

b. Others may prefer right-sizing to a smaller flat, notwithstanding the good memories of their current home. With a smaller flat, maintenance is easier, and the proceeds can supplement their retirement needs.

These are personal decisions, and we will support Singaporeans regardless of the options they choose.

a. For those who prefer to age-in-place, you can sell part of your flat's remaining lease to HDB, under the Lease Buyback Scheme, or LBS.

• The proceeds will be used to top up your CPF Retirement Account, and provide you with monthly lifelong payouts under CPF LIFE.
• LBS also provides owners with up to $30,000 in cash bonus.
• From 2021 to 2025, for a 4-room flat, the average LBS proceeds, including the portion used to top up the CPF Retirement Account, plus LBS bonus received was over $200,000.

b. Alternatively, you can right-size to a smaller flat and use the sales proceeds to support your retirement.

• Seniors who right-size to a 3-room or smaller flat can qualify for the Silver Housing Bonus of up to $40,000.
• For instance, seniors can consider applying for a new 2-room Flexi flat from HDB or right-sizing to a Community Care Apartment, or CCA.
• A CCA integrates housing with care services, and comes with pre-installed fittings and senior-friendly designs. Activities are regularly organised for seniors to interact, and seniors receive custodial support through a community manager, providing peace of mind.
• We have launched five CCAs since 2021. The next one is in Toa Payoh later this year, and we will continue launching more CCAs across various towns depending on the need.

But there is a limit to how many CCAs we can build. That is why we are also doing more to make our living environment more senior-friendly and ensure that our seniors can age-in-place comfortably.

a. Mr Henry Kwek and Mr Liang Eng Hwa will be pleased to hear that agencies are working together to roll out Age Well Neighbourhoods, or AWNs, starting with the first one in Toa Payoh. In each AWN, we will improve access to healthcare services and upgrade senior-friendly amenities. This will add to the housing and care options available for seniors. We will continue to review and refine these options for seniors as we go along.

b. We are also heartened to hear Mr Cai Yinzhou's interest in senior-friendly fittings for residents to age-in-place. Even if you are not in an AWN, you can still benefit from many improvements through our upgrading programmes. These include the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme and Silver Upgrading Programme, or SUP, for HDB precincts, and our Estate Upgrading Programme for private estates. Four precincts in Chong Boon will be the first to benefit from the SUP when works complete later this year. By next year, works will complete for another 12 precincts in Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah and Toa Payoh.

c. Mr Fadli Fawzi asked about schemes for improvements within the flat, to enable seniors to live more comfortably and securely. Seniors can tap on the Enhancement for Active Seniors programme, or EASE, to receive subsidies to install items that improve mobility and safety. This is offered as part of the Home Improvement Programme, or HIP, and EASE (Direct Application), and from April this year, private estates can also benefit under EASE (Private).

d. Mr Cai Yinzhou also mentioned technologies such as fire and fall detection. We have installed Home Fire Alarm Devices, or HFADs, in over 80% of our public rental flats, with the remainder being progressively equipped at no cost to tenants. HFAD installation is also offered under EASE and in flats that have fire-rated doors installed under HIP.

e. On fall detection, HDB partners commercial vendors to offer optional fall detection packages that residents living in sold flats may subscribe to. MOH will also roll out the enhanced Home Personal Care service, which includes 24/7 technology-enabled monitoring to detect falls and incidents.

f. Mr Ang Wei Neng and Mr Dennis Tan asked about our Lift Upgrading Programme, or LUP. Since 2001, the LUP has brought direct lift access to 99% of our HDB blocks. Over the years, HDB has piloted and adopted various solutions to bring direct lift access to more blocks. These include machine-room-less lifts and bubble lifts. In 2025, LUP was announced for six blocks, and there are plans for LUP to be extended to about 40 more blocks progressively. Residents in these blocks will be informed in due course. For residents living in blocks without direct lift access, including those in segmented flats, we enhanced the Lift access Housing Grant last year. Eligible families and singles can receive up to $80,000 and $40,000 respectively, to move to a flat with direct lift access. HDB continues to explore new ways to bring direct lift access to the remaining blocks, such as working with research institutes to develop and test out new solutions. Earlier this year, HDB also called for proposals under the HDB Cool Ideas Enterprise. This is a platform that provides enterprises with funding support, mentorship, and access to testbed facilities to co-develop solutions that improve the HDB living environment and residents' quality of life.

g. I would also like to address Mr Dennis Tan's point that his resident at Blk 832 did not know that their flat did not have same floor direct lift access at the point of purchase. If the resident bought the flat directly from HDB, the relevant information would have been provided in HDB's sales brochure at that time. If the resident bought the flat from the resale market, whether a flat has direct lift access is an observable physical feature of the property.

h. On offering LUP to all blocks regardless of cost, I hope Mr Tan appreciates that the government needs to ensure public funds are spent prudently. HDB will continue to explore new technologies to provide direct lift access to remaining blocks, where feasible. We will do our best to cover as many blocks as possible. However, where the cost of providing direct lift access is too high, it is more prudent for the flat owner to move to another unit in the neighbourhood with lift access, using the Lift access Housing Grant which we enhanced last year to $80,000.

Conclusion

Mr Chairman, Singapore's public housing landscape is constantly evolving, and we will do our best to meet the diverse needs of Singaporeans. Whether you need a place to stay as you navigate life's difficult challenges, or whether you have retired and want to age gracefully in place, we are here to support you.

Thank you.