AFFORDABLE ROOMS FOR B40 YOUTHS
KL City Hall to offer micro-housing units at RM100 a month per person
YOUNGSTERS from the lower-income bracket (B40) who are finding it hard to find affordable accommodation in the city have been offered a lifeline via Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s upcoming micro-housing facilities.
Once completed, the first of two phases will offer a pair of twin, seven-storey shophouses in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.
The first phase, expected to be completed by year-end, will
house 190 tenants, while the second phase, to be completed in the first quarter of next year, is expected to cater to 135 people.
The partly-furnished units, which can house three to seven people, can be rented at RM100 a month per person.
Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan said the units were for single Malaysians, aged 18 to 28, earning RM2,000 or below and working within a 25km radius of the facility.
“Registration for the first phase should open by August. Tenants have a choice of signing a tenancy for one year or 18 months. They cannot exceed this term because we need to rotate the units for the benefit of as many young and struggling Malaysians as possible.”
He said no maintenance charges would be imposed even though the RM200 and RM100 collected as deposit and rental, respectively, could not cover costs, including the RM5 to RM7 million paid to remodel the shophouses.
He said the initiative was not about profit, but about helping the young B40 group find their footing.
“We would like to give them a fresh start by providing them with a roof over their head until they are ready to stand on their own feet,” he said at the unveiling of the project here yesterday.
The New Straits Times had reported that shops facing the street in Jalan TAR measuring 1,760 sq ft could go for RM300,000 in monthly rental.
Nor Hisham gave examples of youngsters from Kuala Krai, Kelantan, who found themselves stranded on the streets because they could not afford to rent or foot the bill to commute from their rented homes or rooms in the capital.
Nor Hisham hopes to reduce cases of homelessness in the city with the initiative.
He said at least 10 per cent of the 1,500-odd vagrants in the city were youngsters with jobs who were earning below RM2,000.
Nor Hisham said City Hall would increase the number of such housing facilities for the B40 group.
He said City Hall had come up with three most likely locations to develop the facilities.
“The areas include Jalan Putra, Jalan Tiong Nam and Jalan Haji Hussein.”
He said the aim was to give back to the grassroots who were the backbone of the city, encourage the use of public transport and resuscitate decaying districts within the city.
“We want to update the streets with good lighting, flowers and proper walkways so that we can connect people safely to stops and stations where they can hop onto buses and take trains,” he said.
Earlier, he said the facility in Jalan TAR only had space to park motorcycles and bicycles to encourage dwellers to use public transport.
Meanwhile, the facility has separate blocks for men and women, and has rooms designated for tenants with special needs.
The room units measure 7sq m each. The furnishing, appliances and facilities provided are beds, microwave ovens, pantries, surau, reading corners and laundry services. There would also be a guard and warden to ensure the safety of the facility and its tenants.