New flats for the elderly to be launched in February BTO exercise, with subscription to care services
A new type of public housing with senior-friendly design features and subscription to care services will be launched for sale in February’s Build-to-Order (BTO) exercise, authorities announced on Thursday (Dec 10). The flats, known as Community Care Apartments, are for home buyers aged 65 and above.
To be located at Bukit Batok West Avenue 9, buyers will have the flexibility to choose a lease ranging from 15 to 35 years. The flats cannot be resold or rented out. “(The apartments) will offer seniors aged 65 and above an affordable housing option which integrates senior-friendly design features with care services that can be scaled according to care needs,” said the Ministry of National Development (MND), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Housing and Development Board (HDB), which jointly developed the housing concept. Under the model, eligible seniors will have to buy a variable housing lease and subscribe to a compulsory basic care package, with the option of adding on more advanced care services.
There will also be communal areas, services and programmes to “enable meaningful participation and social interactions amongst residents”, the authorities said. The new housing concept was developed as Singapore deals with a rapidly ageing population. By 2030, almost a million Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above, nearly double the figure in 2017, they added.
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