A young Singaporean mother has taken to Facebook to share about her difficulties with renting a Housing & Development Board (HDB) flat due to the existing regulations, which she said has impacted her ability to adequately provide for her two young sons.
The woman, Chanel Koh, put up a lengthy Facebook post on Feb. 12 as a last resort to appeal for help and pour her heart out about the challenges she is facing in trying to keep a roof over her family's head.
Her account also included details of her early life, but most pertinent of all, are the developments in recent years.
Left her husband, raising her children by herself
Koh said she got married in 2016, but left her husband in 2019 after claiming that she suffered "violence and infidelity".
Since then, she has been trying to find a place to stay, along with her two young sons.
Koh said:
"All I wanted was to apply for a 2 room rental flat to tide me over from now till my divorce is (finalised) so I can then apply for a house with my kids after the final judgement."
Unfortunately, as her divorce has yet to be finalised, Koh is technically still married.
This means that under HDB's public rental scheme regulations, Koh does not qualify for a flat as she does not meet the requirements under the family scheme, or the joint singles scheme.
To make matters worse, Koh cannot rely on help from her parents, as she said that her father has passed away, and her mother is currently in prison.
Can't get to her work and send her kids to school on time
Koh said she was forced to leave her rented place on Feb. 11 this year.
Her social worker from Fei Yue Family Service Centre, a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping the needy in Singapore, placed her at a home in Serangoon.
Unfortunately, Koh works at Henderson, which is in Bukit Merah, while her kids go to school at Tradehub 21, near Jurong East.
"How early do you expect my kids to wake up so I have sufficient time to send them to Tradehub for school then go to work, how late do you expect my kids to sleep after I end work at 6pm and I travel to pick them then head back to Serangoon?"
Cut-off of S$1,500
Koh's social worker also supposedly informed her that she might have to rent from the open market instead of HDB's public rental scheme, as she is currently earning more than S$1,500.
HDB's cut-off is S$1,500 of monthly household income, although it does consider applications for people earning more.
According to HDB: "In general, your total household gross income should not exceed S$1,500 per month. If your monthly household income is more than S$1,500, you can still submit an application."
Koh shared a screen shot of an email conversation she had with a HDB officer, who denied her application for a rental flat back in 2015:
Photo from Chanel Koh's FB page.
And the reply from HDB:
Photo from Chanel Koh's Facebook page.
However, as Koh said she got married in 2016, this denial of her application would have taken place before she was married, which would mean that Koh was applying as a single person at the time.
A tough decision to make
Koh pointed out that after CPF deductions, her salary will be stretched in trying to provide for a family of three while also renting a house on the open market.
And due to this seeming loophole in the rules, until her divorce is finalised, she may not be able to afford a flat on the open market. Said Koh:
"As a mother, it pains me because I am unsure of my decision to leave a abusive marriage is better or to stay and tolerate but at least my kids have a roof over their head is better. I do not ask you to feed my kids for me, I take the responsibility for it."
She added that she believes this is a reason why some women choose to remain in bad marriages instead of leaving, and she feels like she's "failed" as a mother due to her struggles.
You can see Koh's post below:
HDB's statement
Mothership contacted HDB, who said that they are aware of Koh's post.
HDB stated that Koh had sent in her rental application on Feb. 13. They are currently processing her application and will inform her of the outcome as soon as possible.
HDB also informed Mothership that Koh previously applied for a rental flat in 2015 and 2016. However, as she applied together with her mother and her brother, who were both incarcerated at the time of the applications, HDB could not accept them as co-applicants. Koh's income at the time was also above the income ceiling for the Public Rental Scheme.
Koh wrote to HDB in Nov. 2019, explaining that she was separated from her husband and intended to file for a divorce, while applying for a rental flat in the meantime. However, as her divorce is not finalised, she would be required to apply for a rental flat together with her husband.
But in light of her circumstances, HDB is prepared to consider Koh's request for a rental flat. HDB is also working with Fei Yue to advise Koh on her housing options. Fei Yue has also arranged temporary housing for Koh and her children.
Said HDB: "HDB will continue to assess requests for rental housing from parties in financial hardship who need help to tide over a protracted or acrimonious divorce."
Mothership contacted Fei Yue, who said that it has been working with Koh and her family since Oct. 2018 on her housing situation.
It said that Koh had turned down her social worker's various offers of shelter accommodation, citing personal reasons.
It added that it secured shelter accommodation for Koh and her children within the same day after she reported being evicted on Feb. 11, but she declined the offer of assistance.
Fei Yue is working with HDB on Koh's latest application for rental housing, and added: "Together with relevant agencies, we will continue to look out for and support Ms Koh and her family."
Photo by John T on Unsplash.