First MOM-owned migrant worker dormitory opens in Jurong; new grant for operators to upgrade facilities

FUNDING FOR DORMITORY UPGRADES

Under the higher dormitory standards, each room must have a maximum of 12 residents and there must be at least 1m of space between their beds.

There is to be at least one ensuite toilet, shower and wash basin for every six residents. Each resident must have at least 4.2 sq m of living space.

There must also be ensuite toilets for all isolation rooms, and there are requirements for more single-bed isolation rooms and partitions in two-bed isolation rooms.

The interim standards are similar, except for a smaller required living space of at least 3.6 sq m per resident.

Under the new Dormitory Transition Scheme grant, funding will differ based on the retrofitting needed.

From 2026 to 2028, the grant will provide S$4,200 (US$3,300) for building a new room; S$9,800 for building an ensuite toilet; S$7,300 for adding a water closet to a communal toilet; and S$12,300 for building an isolation room with an ensuite toilet.

The grants will then be lowered from 2029 to 2030. MOM said this is to mitigate potential disruption in the supply of beds due to “bunching” of dormitories being retrofitted.

From 2029 to 2030, the grant will provide S$3,000 for building a new room; S$7,000 for building an ensuite toilet; S$5,300 for adding a water closet to a communal toilet; and S$8,800 for building an isolation room with an ensuite toilet.

About 900 dormitories with around 200,000 beds are expected to be eligible for the grant, said Dr Tan.

They must submit their intended retrofitting schedule to MOM for approval, and must commit to completing the works within the approved timeline.

This is to manage the simultaneous works in multiple dormitories and minimise their impact on bed supply and retrofitting costs, said the ministry.