May 21, 2018

A sizeable number of families with children below 15 years of age live in public rental flats in Singapore, but how exactly does housing affect families and the establishment of a home?

An ongoing study under the Social Service Research Centre (SSR) at NUS attempts to understand how families define “home,” while examining the obstacles they face in the process of creating a home for themselves. The research team consists of Associate Professor Noor Aisha Binte Abdul Rahman (Department of Malay Studies), Research Fellow Dr. Neo Yu Wei (SSR), and Research Executive Mr Andrew Lim (SSR).

Prior research has shown that within the context of high home ownership rate, the minority living in rental housing are likely to be stigmatised. Additionally, social housing has been shown to be negatively correlated to childhood development. This study seeks to understand the experiences of families as they enter, remain or leave public rental housing. Working with the Ministry of National Development, findings could be referenced for social policies and services aimed at providing good and affordable housing environments for lower-income families.

Find out more about this study and other ongoing research projects under the Social Service Research Centre here.