‘Johor govt will help poor with housing’
JOHOR BARU: The state government is open to negotiation and will help residents of People’s Housing Projects (PPR) and the government rented homes’ programme, Rumah Sewa Kerajaan (RSK), in settling their rental arrears.
Johor Housing and Rural Development Committee chairman Dzulkefly Ahmad said the government always adopted a humane approach in any eviction action while following standard operating procedure.
“The government will not chase people out of their homes. We understand there are poor people (asnaf) and low-income (B40) families living in PPRs and RSKs.
“What we want them to do right after receiving their first or second notice is to come forward to the Johor Housing Secretariat (SUK Perumahan) so that we can reschedule their rental payment and offer other methods of payment,” he told reporters after launching the Johor Land Bandar Tiram sales gallery here yesterday.
Dzulkefly said the state has other ways of helping the poor own comfortable homes such as through the Yayasan Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan (Local Government Authorities’ Foundation), Welfare Department and Johor Islamic Religious Council.
“If the tenant is a recipient of welfare, we can ensure that some of the aid is channelled directly to SUK Perumahan to overcome the issue of rental arrears,” he said.
He also said the Johor government was allocating RM6mil yearly for maintenance works at eight PPR and seven RSK across the state.
“RM6mil is a big amount and if the tenants can pay back their rent, we can use the money to build better facilities for the people.
“But in general, the payment rate is a very disappointing 40%,” he said.