Speech by MOS Faishal Ibrahim at the Committee of Supply Debate
Mar 5, 2025
Inclusive Homes, Stronger Communities
Introduction
Sir, I thank the Members for their questions and suggestions.
Over the years, the Government has uplifted families in need through targeted and progressive shifts in our public housing policy.
But our work does not stop here. Today, I will share more about how we will strengthen our support for the vulnerable to achieve two objectives—stability and empowerment.
Stability: Improving the Public Rental Scheme
Let me start with stability.
The Public Rental Scheme has been a social safety net for our low-income and vulnerable households, providing them a stable home, as they navigate other life challenges.
I would like to assure Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin and Mr Xie Yao Quan that we are continuously improving the Public Rental Scheme for our tenants.
First, to provide timely support.
During COVID, applications for rental flats surged and waiting times increased to up to 11 months. Since then, HDB has streamlined the flat selection process, and reduced waiting times to an average of five months.
We are working to reduce waiting times further. As part of our efforts, we will build another close to 5,000 public rental flats by 2030.
Second, to create a conducive living environment for our tenants to regain stability.
Some may remember our older rental blocks, with long narrow corridors and units on both sides, and often clustered together. We no longer build rental housing that way. Today, rental blocks are interspersed with sold blocks, and built with similar designs as sold blocks.
Going a step further, we have been building rental flats in the same blocks as sold flats, to encourage social mixing. HDB has completed six such blocks, and will complete another 28 in the next five years.
To better meet the needs of our tenants, we have also been adjusting rental flat designs, such as building new rental flats with high partitions to provide more privacy for tenants under the Joint Singles Scheme.
Last year, we piloted the Single Room Shared Facilities model to provide single tenants with their own room, while sharing common facilities like toilets and kitchens. Tenants have moved in from August last year, and many were pleased to have their own room. We will continue to learn from this pilot, and improve the experience for our single tenants.
Empowerment: Helping rental families progress to home ownership
Next, let me touch on empowerment.
We are committed to supporting all public rental households on their home ownership journey, starting with families with children, or ComLink+ families.
Many of these families face complex and overlapping challenges, such as balancing employment and childcare responsibilities.
Take Mdm Christabel Tan, for example, one of our public rental tenants.
After her husband’s passing, she became the sole breadwinner of the family, raising three young children on her own. She took on a part-time job, so she could still take care of her children when she was not working.
Mdm Tan has never been a homeowner, and she hopes to buy her own 3-room flat one day. However, with her limited bandwidth and unstable income, home ownership seemed out of reach, and she applied for a rental flat instead.
We have taken steps to better support families like Mdm Tan. Since late last year, HDB provides proactive home ownership guidance to ComLink+ families upon their entry to public rental.
When Mdm Tan recently collected the keys to her rental flat, an HDB officer spoke with her to understand her home ownership aspirations, work out her housing budget with her based on the housing grants and loan she is eligible for, and provide tailored advice on her housing options.
She was very thankful for the personalised guidance from HDB. It gave her clarity that a stable income with CPF contribution is crucial for her to build up her savings and close the $30,000 shortfall to buy a 3-room flat.
Mdm Tan has since started a full-time job as a sales executive, and is working hard to buy a flat of her own. To her, home ownership is no longer a distant dream, but an attainable goal.
Enhancements to Fresh Start Housing Scheme
We will also do more to support families like Mdm Tan who need help to bridge the last mile towards home ownership.
Today, Fresh Start provides holistic support for second-timer public rental families with children to be proud homeowners again.
I would like to inform Ms Mariam Jaafar that 85 families have moved into their flats through support from Fresh Start. Another 28 families have booked their flat and are waiting for their keys.
We will do more to support more families to realise their home ownership aspirations. As Prime Minister had announced in his Budget Statement, we will be enhancing Fresh Start to support more ComLink+ families in public rental on their home ownership journey.
First, we will extend Fresh Start to first-timer ComLink+ families in public rental, to allow them to buy a 2 or 3-room Standard flat on a shorter lease.
This will benefit first-timer families like Mdm Tan, who find it challenging to buy a 99-year lease flat. With this change, she will be able to afford a shorter-lease 3-room Standard flat and achieve her goal of owning a flat sooner.
Like all other first-timers, they will continue to benefit from the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant, or EHG, of up to $120,000, in lieu of the Fresh Start Housing Grant.
First-timer families who are eligible can apply for Fresh Start from April this year. Those emplaced on the scheme can book a flat under Fresh Start from the first sales exercise in 2026.
Next, we will increase the Fresh Start Housing Grant for second-timer ComLink+ families in public rental from $50,000 to $75,000.
With this enhancement, eligible families will receive an upfront disbursement of $60,000 into their CPF Ordinary Account before key collection, to help defray immediate costs of buying a home.
The remaining $15,000 will be disbursed in equal tranches over five years after key collection to help families manage their mortgage payments.
Eligible families can look forward to tapping on the increased grant from the July 2025 sales exercise.
I recently visited one of our Fresh Start families, Mdm Nureezan and her two young daughters, Azura and Adiera, at their new flat in Marsiling.
When Mdm Nureezan was living in a rental flat, people told her that she would never be able to own a home of her own as a divorced, single parent. But she refused to give up. Knowing the importance for her children to have a better living environment, she was determined to buy her own flat.
Fresh Start made home ownership possible for Mdm Nureezan. With the Fresh Start Housing Grant, she was able to buy a new 2-room Sales of Balance flat with a 55-year lease, that is fortunately near her workplace and children’s school. She also benefitted from priority allocation under the Tenants’ Priority Scheme. Her family moved into their new flat within a year, with minimal renovations needed.
I am very happy for Mdm Nureezan. Her journey was not easy, but she persevered and worked hard for her daughters. She told me that her daughters were overjoyed with tears on the day of moving into their new flat, and said this to her “Mama, you made our dream come true.”
Truly, home ownership is a dream for many. Mdm Nureezan’s story has shown that this dream can come true, as long as families stay committed to this path.
Like Mdm Nureezan, more than 700 public rental households moved into their new flat last year. We are encouraged by this, and will continue working with our social agencies and community partners to enable more to do the same.
Home ownership is a journey, not a destination. It comes with many responsibilities and requires careful financial planning. As our tenants take this important step, we will continue to guide and support them every step of the way.
Malay Segment
Chairman, allow me to now speak in Malay.
Kami komited untuk menyokong semua isi rumah sewa awam untuk memiliki rumah sendiri, bermula dengan keluarga yang mempunyai anak, atau keluarga ComLink+.
Sejak akhir tahun lalu, HDB telah menyediakan panduan pemilikan rumah secara proaktif kepada keluarga ComLink+ apabila mereka memasuki skim sewa awam.
Apabila keluarga menerima kunci flat sewa awam mereka, pegawai HDB akan membimbing mereka dalam perjalanan pemilikan rumah – pegawai HDB akan berhubung dengan mereka untuk memahami aspirasi keluarga, menilai keadaan kewangan mereka dan memberi nasihat yang disesuaikan mengenai pilihan perumahan mereka.
Kami juga akan berusaha lebih gigih untuk membantu keluarga-keluarga yang mungkin memerlukan bantuan untuk merapatkan jurang terakhir ke arah pemilikan rumah.
Pada masa ini, Skim Perumahan Permulaan Baru menyediakan sokongan menyeluruh untuk membantu keluarga penyewa awam kali kedua yang mempunyai anak menjadi pemilik rumah semula.
Sehingga kini, 85 keluarga telah berpindah ke flat mereka melalui sokongan daripada Skim Perumahan Permulaan Baru. Tambahan pula, 28 keluarga lagi telah menempah flat mereka dan sedang menunggu kunci.
Seperti yang diumumkan oleh Perdana Menteri dalam Ucapan Belanjawan beliau, kami akan meningkatkan Skim Perumahan Permulaan Baru untuk menyokong lebih ramai keluarga ComLink+ dalam skim sewa awam dalam perjalanan pemilikan rumah mereka.
Pertama, kami akan meluaskan skim ini kepada keluarga ComLink+ kali pertama dalam skim sewa awam, untuk membolehkan mereka membeli flat Standard 2-bilik atau 3-bilik dengan pajakan yang lebih pendek, yang lebih mampu milik berbanding flat pajakan 99 tahun.
Seperti semua pembeli kali pertama yang lain, mereka akan terus mendapat manfaat daripada Geran Perumahan CPF yang Dipertingkatkan sehingga $120,000, sebagai ganti kepada Geran Perumahan Permulaan Baru.
Keluarga kali pertama yang layak boleh memohon Skim Perumahan Permulaan Baru mulai bulan April tahun ini. Mereka yang dimasukkan dalam skim ini boleh menempah flat mulai latihan jualan yang pertama pada tahun 2026.
Seterusnya, kami akan meningkatkan Geran Perumahan Permulaan Baru untuk keluarga ComLink+ kali kedua dalam skim sewa awam daripada $50,000 kepada $75,000.
Keluarga yang layak boleh menantikan geran yang dinaikkan mulai latihan jualan pada Julai tahun 2025.
Conclusion
Sir, let me conclude by reaffirming our commitment to uplifting those in need, providing them with stability, and empowering them to lead lives of dignity and opportunity.
To make a lasting impact, we need the support from every member of the society, including all of us here in this house. Together, we can build a stronger, more inclusive community, so that Singapore remains a home that all Singaporeans are proud of.