Life in Interims


As a wealthy nation with one of the highest home ownership rates in the world, homelessness is a social issue not often associated with Singapore. However in recent years, those numbers have been slipping. 45,000 households currently live in rental flats subsidised by the government, out of which, about 1500 of them fall under a new and little known initiative – Interim Rental Housing (IRH) Scheme.


The IRH Scheme was introduced in 2009 by Housing Development Board to provide a temporary housing solution for families who have lost their homes through financial hardships or other unfortunate circumstances. Under this scheme, two families are paired together to share a single three-room flat. Each family pays a monthly rent between three hundred to five hundred dollars and their lease are renewed on a six-monthly basis.


The objective of this photographic essay is to document the living conditions of families staying in these interim rental housing and examine the challenges that these families face. Life in Interims was produced for Objectifs' Shooting Home mentorship programme and exhibited at The Arts House in 2012.


This less-than-ideal arrangement often leads to overcrowding and these families frequently face inconveniences in an absence of private, personal space. Conflicts caused by inevitable tension and misunderstanding between families are also common affairs.

Life in Interims As a wealthy nation with one of the highest home ownership rates in the world, homelessness is a social issue not often associated with Singapore. However in recent years, those numbers have been slipping. 45,000 households currently live in rental flats subsidised by the government, out of which, about 1500 of them fall under a new and little known initiative – Interim Rental Housing (IRH) Scheme. The IRH Scheme was introduced in 2009 by Housing Development Board to provide a temporary housing solution for families who have lost their homes through financial hardships or other unfortunate circumstances. Under this scheme, two families are paired together to share a single three-room flat. Each family pays a monthly rent between three hundred to five hundred dollars and their lease are renewed on a six-monthly basis. The objective of this photographic essay is to document the living conditions of families staying in these interim rental housing and examine the challenges that these families face. Life in Interims was produced for Objectifs' Shooting Home mentorship programme and exhibited at The Arts House in 2012. This less-than-ideal arrangement often leads to overcrowding and these families frequently face inconveniences in an absence of private, personal space. Conflicts caused by inevitable tension and misunderstanding between families are also common affairs.
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