Vulnerable families are the Housing Minister's second top priority to address the housing needs of families with household income below $1,500 per month.

As new homes are out of their reach for the moment, these families need subsidised rental flats.

More of such rental blocks are being built and Singaporeans can expect further improvement in the next couple of years, said Mr Khaw.

HDB is currently housing 44,000 such families in HDB rental flats, but another 1,600 families are waiting in queue.

Mr Khaw also said that the waiting time for a rental unit has been reduced to six months, which is still longer than what he hopes he can achieve.

The rental structure is also currently being reviewed by Mr Khaw and there are considerations on introducing more rental tiers with smaller increments in rental adjustments "so that the incentive to work harder and earn more is not unwittingly diminished."

As for other groups of home buyers, Mr Khaw said that he "will attend to them more fully in due course".

Mr Khaw ended the speech by saying that housing is a complex matter and there are no instant solutions, but he is confident that improvements for newlyweds and vulnerable families within two years will bring happiness to many families.

"The other housing segments will take a longer time to fix, and I seek Singaporeans’ understanding and patience," said Mr Khaw.

klim@sph.com.sg