IF WE can make space for foreign workers in disused schools, why can’t we do the same for Singaporeans in desperate need of housing, suggested a Member of Parliament yesterday. Why not use unoccupied Government buildings as interim housing for the “homeless”, asked MP for Sembawang GRC Lim Wee Kiak.

He was referring to Singaporeans who, because of extreme financial difficulty, find themselves with negative equity after selling their flats. They do not have the means to buy another flat, nor qualify for rental housing because their household income is more than $1,500 and renting a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat on the open market would be too expensive.

Parliamentary Secretary for National Development Maliki Osman acknowledged that the issue of HDB mortgage arrears has surfaced in many meet-the-people sessions due to the uncertain economic outlook, but clarified that “compulsory acquisition is a last resort, after all other avenues have been exhausted”.

As of last month, there were 33,000 flat owners with arrears of three months or more, making up less than 8 per cent of the 420,000 households with outstanding loans. This number has remained stable over the past year, said Dr Maliki.

He explained that home owners who have problems financing their mortgages can turn to HDB’s reduced re-payment scheme. “We can offer between 25 and 50 per cent reduced payment for six months, and sometimes we go all the way to two years,” he said.

But, he added, the reduced repayment scheme is only a short-term solution. For those with “difficulties in the longer term”, they would be better off selling their flats.

Interim housing is, however, a “last option”, he said.

“We don’t envisage a situation where we have a large exodus of displaced individuals and families where we have to house them in temporary housing,” he said.

MP for Aljunied GRC Cynthia Phua disagreed, saying she still sees four to five people who are unable to meet their mortgages during her weekly meet-the-people sessions, pointing to a real need for “alternative housing” for this group.

“Most of the cases cannot afford to downgrade. Where do you want them to go?” she said. She asked if the National Development Ministry could implement different levels of subsidies for rental flats.

Dr Maliki said his ministry is working on “a multi-prong” approach to address the shortage of two- and three-room flats, with more units expected to be built over the next two years.

As for more subsidies, he said there was a limit to how much the Government could provide.

Source : Today – 19 Nov 2008

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The talk, which surfaced last week, is about how an empty school compound in the middle of the private estate could be turned into a temporary dormitory to house 1,500 foreign workers.

This has sparked concerns that residents want to raise at a dialogue session tonight with their Member of Parliament, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua. The session is part of a planned series, and scheduled to also attend is Foreign Minister George Yeo, who leads the team for Aljunied GRC.

Most that Today spoke to had the quiet and the security of the neighbourhood on their minds. Businessman Yeo Siang Yow, 59, whose front gate is just 15m away from the gate of the former Serangoon Gardens Technical School, predicted: “If it turns into a dormitory, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and police will receive complaint letters every day. The residents here will be watching the workers for any signs of unruly behaviour.”

Already, some 600 residents have signed a petition urging the SLA, which manages the plot of land, to drop the idea.

Mr Yeo’s next-door neighbour, an elderly woman who declined to be named, said she understood that foreign workers were “important to Singapore” and needed a place to stay – but not in the midst of their residential estate.

“Can you imagine, in the morning when you want to go to work, all the trucks will be lined up here along this road? “It would be inconvenient for the workers, too, because their movements and hours will be even more restricted if they move here,” she added, referring to a likely curfew.

Mrs Lim said that since the school building was vacated in 2003, residents had been asking what would become of it. “I think they had been expecting a condominium. Maybe this idea was completely different from what they had in mind.”

All vacant state buildings will be assessed

The MP told TODAY the idea to turn the premises into a workers’ hostel was still being assessed by the Ministry for National Development (MND).

“That will include assessment of traffic, security, safety and a whole list of issues to see whether the site can support a dormitory,” said Mrs Lim, who is also Senior Minister of State (Transport and Finance).

She has heard from residents and – while she points to the chronic national shortage of dormitories – she feels some of their concerns, such as traffic congestion, are “fair and valid” and “would be quite happy to pass on to MND”.

In response to queries, the MND said it was at the preliminary stage of assessing “all available vacant state buildings”, and has not decided on which ones are suited for use as short-term dormitories.

Such “transitional dormitories” will meet demand over the next one to two years; while the Government has recently released 11 new dormitory sites, to meet the influx of foreign workers across all sectors, these facilities will take time to build.

Added the MND: “Given that Singapore is becoming more built-up, it will be an increasing challenge to find suitable sites for foreign workers.

“Residents may find more foreign workers living in their midst, or dormitory sites located near to their premises for a short period of time. We seek their understanding and support.”

The issue has triggered a debate online, with netizens split in their views.

One wrote that a foreign workers’ hostel parked in a private estate could drive property values down, while another remarked: “No matter where they are housed, there will be unhappy people”.

This dilemma of housing foreign workers has come up repeatedly in recent times, with an airing in Parliament as recently as February. One of the most common gripes from residents: Some foreign workers cause social problems by loitering in their estates and get rowdy after drinking alcohol.

At Serangoon Gardens, Mr Lee Mun Yuan, coffeeshop owner said the influx of foreign workers would likely help boost his business. “But I don’t think the people here will be too happy,” he said. “Imagine, you have the rich and foreign workers living in the same place.”

Source : Today – 3 Sep 2008

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