Budget 2025 Helps Boost Public Housing Facilities

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Budget 2025 genuinely identifies the priorities of targeted groups, including the urban poor living in public housing such as the People's Housing Project (PPR), according to the Kita-untuk-Kita (K2K) programme director Dr Shahridan Faiez.

He said the RM100 million allocation provided under Budget 2025 for community empowerment in PPR demonstrates a targeted and necessary approach to empowering public housing residents in Malaysia.

"This shows that the government prioritises not only physical infrastructure but also community development to create a more sustainable housing environment," he said in a statement today.

According to him, PPR residents often face challenges such as overcrowding, limited facilities, deteriorating amenities, and unsafe spaces, which contribute to a decline in quality of life, affecting their mental well-being and community ties.

He said that by focusing on community-driven initiatives, the government addresses an often overlooked aspect of public housing: the community's capacity to drive its transformation.

This focus on community empowerment stems from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's vision, initiated in Budget 2023 through the K2K programme. In this pioneering approach, residents are empowered to improve their environment through collaborative efforts.

Implemented by Think City, this innovative initiative seeks to support communities living in public housing.

Shahridan said that the RM200 million allocated for repairing critical infrastructure, including replacing outdated lifts, is also deemed necessary, as poor infrastructure often adds to PPR residents' daily challenges. 

"Infrastructure is the foundation for safe and liveable housing. However, the challenge is to ensure that these infrastructure repairs are aligned with community empowerment efforts, so that both interventions reinforce each other and have a lasting impact," he said.

However, he said, from Think City's experience, the real challenge lies in the effective coordination of efforts, as without this targeted approach, housing infrastructure repairs may not be fully utilised.

"Only by enhancing the coordination of both interventions can we achieve lasting and sustainable change that the PPR residents deserve," he added.

-- BERNAMA