How the gov't will prioritise public housing for those who badly need homes

It is studying whether first-timer couples with children should be prioritised.

As demand for affordable and accessible housing mounted, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said they will look for ways to provide public housing to more needy residents.

In his welcoming remarks at the Forward Singapore Engagement Session, Lee said the government had already introduced measures to build projects ahead of demand. 

“In fact, we even bring forward construction work for specific sites that are ready for development ahead of demand – this is how HDB can offer flats with shorter waiting times – some with waiting times of below three years that are even shorter than the actual construction time needed,” said Lee.

But increasing the number of flats would also mean reducing leftover flats needed by future generations of Singaporeans.

With this, Lee said they are seeing options such as prioritising first-timers who are in need of a first home. But this group, which includes lower-income families and first-timer couples with children, have home needs that should be considered.

“We are studying all these ideas and how we can further prioritise access to public housing for those with more pressing housing needs, even within the first-timer group. But, as you can tell, it is not easy to reach a consensus on how we define whose needs are more urgent, as evident from the direct tensions observed from the suggestions we have received,” said Lee.