Coming to terms with relocation, with support from community

675 rental households in Henderson Road have to bid farewell to estate by Sept 2025

- Wong Yang

Every evening at the void decks of blocks 91, 92 and 93 Henderson Road, small groups of residents gather informally - on stools, benches, personal mobility scooters and wheelchairs - to enjoy one another's company.

It is an example of how social networks have over the years become a source of support for the residents living in the rental flats in the estate of Henderson Heights.

By the end of September 2025, the residents will have to bid farewell to the estate and their friends - 675 households living in two-room flats in this estate will have to relocate, as the Housing Board is reviewing development plans for the area.

Many residents were understandably reluctant.

Experts say involuntary relocation can cause significant social, logistical and financial challenges for these residents, many of whom are low-wage shift workers, single parents, elderly, or people with disabilities or special needs - in other words, folk who already face precarious circumstances.

The ongoing Henderson Heights relocation is the sixth such exercise involving rental flats in the past five years. Other relocations have been done in Merpati Road, Sin Ming, Toa Payoh and Spooner Road.

Efforts are made to mitigate the impact of these transitions for rental flat residents.

For instance, the authorities have set up inquiry counters in residents' existing estates where these relocations are carried out.

In Henderson Heights, residents have been able to select their replacement rental flats and collect their keys at HDB's on-site counter, which is hosted at the We Love Learning Centre at the foot of Block 93, instead of having to go to HDB Hub in Toa Payoh.

Residents and community workers said this was a big help, considering many of the people living there are elderly residents who might not be very mobile.