PUBLISHED ONApril 13, 2026 12:11 PMBYKhoo Yi-HangThe Ministry of National Development (MND) aims to keep housing affordable and accessible to the public by ensuring a robust supply of Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Syed Harun Alhabsyi told AsiaOne in an exclusive interview in March.
"If you notice, over the past few years, we've actually been building more and building faster," he said.
"This is our effort towards making sure that every Singaporean household can have a flat of their own."
Young families are a critical sector that MND supports, with nine in 10 first-time households able to service their housing loan through the Central Provident Fund (CPF) with little to no cash outlay, he stated.
A robust BTO housing supply is also expected to move demand away from the resale market, which will, in turn, moderate market prices.
"At the same time, it's also important to note that we do our level best to be able to ensure that grants are available for first-timer households seeking to purchase their first flat," Dr Syed Harun said.
First-timer households have access to up to $120,000 from enhanced CPF Housing Grants, totalling up to $230,000 including the CPF Housing Grant and Proximity Housing Grant.
"Affordability and accessibility to public housing is something that we take very seriously, and we are endeavouring to make sure that this remains accessible to all Singaporeans, especially our families and our households."
@asiaone In efforts to maintain affordable and accessible public housing amid Singapore's rising property costs, the Ministry of National Development (MND) is adopting a multi-pronged approach focused on a robust BTO supply and financial grants. #sgnews #singapore #housing #family #HDB #population ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Between 2025 and 2027, 55,000 new homes are set to be launched, along with 6,300 public rental flats over the next five years.
But is this in line with the growing demand from a population that's increasing in size?
Dr Syed Harun, who is also the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Education, explained that the demand for housing isn't just affected by the size of Singapore's population, but also what different family classifications might need.
He added that four-room flats are the most popular option among home owners, but two-room flats can support the needs of seniors, singles and families who aspire towards five-room flats.
These preferences and tendencies are part of the considerations that culminate in the decisions of design and planning each HDB estate, so that the needs of different family units are well-supported, he said.
"So it's not just about population per se, but also looking at the specific needs as well as the household units that may require different typologies of flats," he said.
"This is something that we deliberate as part of our planning parameters and approaches."
@asiaone While population growth is a factor, housing demand in Singapore is increasingly driven by shifting social trends and the diverse needs of different family types. #sgnews #singapore #housing #family #HDB ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Budget 2026 saw the enhancement to the Third Child Priority Scheme (TCPS), which supports families with three or more children.
Presently, families with three or more children have priority over up to 10 per cent of BTO flats and up to 10 per cent of Sale-of-balance (SBF) flats, up from five per cent prior to the enhancement.
But with birth rates declining, should Singapore be trying to provide support for families with two, or even just one child instead?
Dr Syed Harun explained the decision to go ahead with enhancements to the TCPS by stressing that families "continue to be the bedrock of our society".
"Part of the efforts in public housing is really to be able to support our families to grow with us in Singapore," he said.
Families with three or more children have "more of an urgent need" when it comes to housing, hence the TCPS enhancements are necessary.
"This is really something that we want to be able to do, to be able to support our families have stability in their homes," Dr Syed Harun stated.
He explained that the TCPS applies to both families who have their third child as well as those expecting a third child, and that it doesn't take away from existing priority schemes that parents with one or two children enjoy.
These include priority for first-timer families, the First-Timer (Parents & Married Couples) category and the Family and Parenthood Priority Scheme.
@asiaone "Families are the bedrock of our society", says Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi. By enhancing the Third Child Priority Scheme (TCPS), the Ministry of National Development hopes to provide greater housing stability for households with or expecting their third child. #sgnews #singapore #housing #family #HDB #population ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Dr Syed Harun also talked about how the government is supporting lower-income singles with no family support or other housing options.
He explained how the Joint Singles Scheme Operator-Run (JSSOR) Pilot launched in December 2021 and the Single Room Shared Facilities (SRSF) Pilot rolled out end-2023 have been implemented to help vulnerable singles find a home.
He shared that the JSSOR stems from the previous Joint Singles Scheme, but participants found it difficult to find a second co-applicant to house with them.
This brought about the JSSOR, which provides an operator that will help to find a second, suitable applicant and support some social services.
"We have endeavoured to look at different options, because we find that each and every applicant may have different circumstances," he said.
Some applicants may prefer to stay in a single room by themselves for their privacy but also would not mind shared common facilities — these applicants would be right at home with the SRSF, Dr Syed Harun said.
The feedback from tenants and applicants for the JSSOR and SRSF has been "quite positive", he added.
"We have received positive feedback to the extent where we will be building our purpose-built SRSF block in time to come."
For example, Chencharu Grove in Yishun which was launched last October, comprises six blocks of 826 units of two-room flexi, three-room, four-room, and five-room flats.
In addition, there will be an SRSF rental block with 418 units and shared facilities for the rental tenants, according to HDB.
"We will be moving forward with the plans to the extent where there continues to be demand or support required for the different typologies of singles, specifically those who may require rental accommodation," Dr Syed Harun stated.
"We will continue to scale accordingly."
With Singapore's ageing population, the needs of the elderly have become increasingly important.
Community Care Apartments (CCA) are one such option available in addressing the care and support the elderly need.
"This is something that we feel will be able to support the needs of our seniors so that they can continue to age in place with good community and social support structures within their reach," Dr Syed Harun commented.
Thus far, an average of three out of four CCAs are available across the five launches have been snapped up, he added.
These launches include apartments in Bukit Batok, Queenstown, Bedok, Geylang and Sengkang.
A sixth launch is scheduled for this October in Toa Payoh, he added.
While CCAs are one option for supporting the needs of seniors, Dr Syed Harun stressed that they are not the only one.
MND is ramping up its approach towards making sure neighbourhoods are senior-friendly and are capable of supporting their needs, he said.
"We continue at a broad base to be able to ensure that our neighbourhoods, our public housing, continues to be senior friendly… so that they can age in place."
These neighbourhoods are called "Age Well Neighbourhoods", Dr Syed Harun shared, explaining that they have a variety of support structures around the vicinity with links to active ageing centres and community partners.
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