Seniors who wish to live in Singapore's first assisted living flats may be eligible for government subsidies of up to 80 per cent for a shared caregiving service, which includes showering, dressing and moving around.
The means-tested subsidy will be based on household income and the type of help required, said Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli yesterday during a visit to the Community Care Apartments exhibition at the HDB Hub atrium in Toa Payoh.
The pilot batch of Community Care Apartments in Bukit Batok West Avenue 9 is targeted at those aged 65 and above who wish to live on their own and yet enjoy some care, support and communal activities. Around 160 units will be launched in next month's Build-To-Order sales exercise and they are expected to be completed in 2024.
The optional shared caregiving service will cost around $950 a month before subsidies, and around $1,950 a month if the seniors require feeding services.
Other add-on services that are applicable for subsidies include social day care, meal services, home personal care, and medical escort and transport.
These services come on top of a mandatory basic service package that all residents will have to subscribe to and pay for in cash fully or partially up front with the monthly fee throughout the lease term.
Prices for the package range from $22,000 for a 15-year lease to $59,000 for a 35-year lease. It includes services such as 24-hour emergency monitoring and response service, basic health checks, simple home fixes and activities at the communal spaces within the development.
Mr Masagos, who is also Second Minister for Health, said: "Some seniors may need a little more assistance with activities of daily living but may not want a maid to be living with them. We want them to have support within the community where help can be provided on a daily basis if needed."
Seniors can choose a lease ranging from 15 to 35 years, as long as it covers the applicant and his spouse, if any, until they are at least 95 years old.
Prices for these flats start from $40,000 for a 15-year lease to $65,000 for a 35-year lease, and must be paid for fully up front with cash or with Central Provident Fund (CPF) monies.
Government subsidies such as the Silver Housing Bonus, which gives seniors a cash bonus of up to $30,000 when they sell their existing flat and use the proceeds to top up their CPF Retirement Account, are applicable.
However, these assisted living flats cannot be resold or rented out. Owners who no longer need the flat can return it to the Housing Board, which will refund them the value of the remaining lease of the flat.
Second-time buyers will be subjected to a resale levy, as with all HDB applications, said a Ministry of National Development spokesman in response to a query from The Straits Times.
The resale levy typically depends on the previous subsidised flat type, ranging from $15,000 for a two-room flat to $55,000 for an executive condominium.
Second-time buyers who wish to buy a Community Care Apartment will pay either the resale levy according to their previous subsidised flat type, or $30,000, adjusted according to the length of lease chosen, whichever is the lower amount.
Around 3,000 people have visited the Community Care Apartments exhibition since it opened on Dec 14 last year. It will be open till March 31.
