ALONG Boon Lay Drive are two blocks of flats which have been filling up steadily with residents over the past eight months.
Blocks 188 and 191 used to house 534 three-room flats, but since March last year have been converted into 750 one- and two-room rental flats.
The low-cost accommodation is a godsend for those felled by the recent economic downturn like Mr Muhammad Farhan, 21, whose father lost his factory job seven months ago.
Their rental flat in Block 191 houses nine people, including three babies aged four months to two years old. The family used to live in a four-room Bukit Batok flat, but found the $1,000 monthly mortgage too much to pay.
Now, they pay just $130 a month in rent - with financial assistance from the South West Community Development Council.
For the full story, read Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
