Those who stay in rental flats make the most of their "home"
Drinks stall operator Tan Bai Chen may not own the two-room flat in Upper Boon Keng Road he has lived in for the last decade, but it is very much home for his family.
The 52-year-old lives there with his wife and two sons, aged 10 and five. His younger son has learning difficulties and attends special classes.
"Of course, I have thought about buying a home one day. Who in Singapore hasn't? But I am satisfied as long as I can give my kids a stable life," he said.
The Tans are typical of tenants of the 50,000 rental flats islandwide, with recent figures from the Housing Board providing a rare snapshot of the demographic of people who live in this segment of Singapore's public housing.
Under the public rental scheme, eligible Singaporeans earning $1,500 and less pay rent between $26 and $275, depending on the size of their flat and whether they have bought subsidised housing before.
The average age of public rental applicants is about 43 years old, and the average age of children in these flats is 11. The majority of households in rental flats have four members or less.
About 40 per cent of rental households are singles, who are either sole occupiers after their family members died, or people who applied under the Joint Singles Scheme, where they share the flat with another single.
And many of those who rent, tend to do so for a long time.
Mr Abdul Gaffar, 64, for instance, has shared a two-room flat for the last 21 years. The former security officer stopped working six years ago, as an old leg injury - incurred when he fell from a height of 11m - had taken its toll.
"I wish I had a place of my own, because there's nothing like the feeling of freedom, but I make do here," he said.
National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser said that the long stay in a rental home could suggest the "entrenchment of poverty, especially if the occupants are seniors, not in good health, and unlikely to ever be economically active and in a position to access skills upgrading."
But his colleague, urban sociologist Ho Kong Chong, noted: "If anything, housing is the solution - the roots of poverty lie somewhere else, such as family dynamics and a lack of education."
"Unlike other cities, Singapore's public rental flats provide a minimal but decent standard of living - the lifts work, the lights are always on, and there's no graffiti."
The Housing Board also notes that many renters have also managed to find their way out.
Last year, almost 1,000 rental households became homeowners, thanks to grants for first-timers as well as the Fresh Start Housing Scheme, which gives eligible second-timer families up to $35,000.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now