HDB to pilot public rental housing with shared facilities for low-income singles

Low-income singles will have an additional rental housing option by the end of 2023, announced the Housing and Development Board in a press release on Monday (Mar 13).

Called the Single Room Shared Facilities (SRSF), tenants will be able to live in a hostel-like environment, where they will share basic facilities and have their own bedrooms.

HDB said this pilot aims to give tenants “greater privacy while providing companionship and support”, especially low-income singles who are without family support or other available housing. 

Each tenant will be allocated a bedroom with basic furnishings, including a bed frame, wardrobe, table, wall shelves, and a small refrigerator.

They will also have access to communal facilities such as toilets and kitchens on each level, in addition to laundry and activity rooms.

The new public rental model will be piloted at the former Anderson Junior College hostel at Ang Mo Kio Ave 8.

The site comprises two 11-story buildings with approximately 240 units that will be fully partitioned to create 480 single rooms. 

HDB said the existing facilities provide an appropriate layout with “minimal reconfiguration works,” reducing waste and renovation time.

The site will be managed by an operator who will oversee tenancy issues, provide social support to tenants, and furnish and maintain the premises.

The SRSF is the latest in HDB’s initiatives to meet the needs of low-income singles. It previously introduced partitioned flats for the Joint Singles Scheme in 2015 and, more recently, piloted the Joint Singles Scheme Operator Run (JSS-OR) model in end-2021.

Singles will be able to apply individually for the SRSF rooms when the site is ready by the end of 2023. Current public rental eligibility criteria for singles will apply.