Commenting on the public housing policy that gives priority to those forming families, SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology (Practice) Paulin Straughan said that the policy is designed this way in the interest of national stability. “The national agenda has always been they will promote home ownership in line with the family ideology that supports our nation-building,” she said. Another factor complicating how the Government should set the eligibility requirements is the fact that HDB flats are highly subsidised, noted Prof Straughan. She said one way to make the case for singles below 35 to get an HDB flat is for them to buy it from the resale market, and suggested imposing criteria to help limit demand and prevent the prices of resale flats from soaring. Prof Straughan also believes more attention should be given to elderly singles — not only because they are the most vulnerable segment but also because they would increase in numbers with Singapore’s ageing population.
