Gov’t to Renovate 1,405 Housing Units in Riau This Year

A housing unit renovated through the Independent Housing Stimulus Assistance (BSPS) program. Photo by: PR of Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing

Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing is set to renovate 1,405 uninhabitable housing units (RTLH) this year in Riau Province through the Independent Housing Stimulus Assistance (BSPS) program.

The BSPS, part of the Government’s Cash for Work program, aims to create jobs, reduce unemployment, maintain people’s purchasing power, and improve people’s health by providing livable houses.

“The program is part of the Government’s measures to help those who need houses. It also aims to reduce unemployment in the regions. We hope it can improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries by providing more decent, healthy and comfortable houses,” Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono said as quoted by the Ministry’s webpage, Monday (24/05).

This year, Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing allocates a budget of Rp 23.24 trillion for Cash for Work program, Rp 2.46 trillion of which is allocated for the BSPS program with a target of 114,900 housing units across Indonesia.

For Riau Province, the BSPS budget allocation is Rp 28.1 billion for 1,405 housing units in 10 Cities/Regencies and 93 villages in the Province. As of today, the progress of the program has reached 30 percent.

In the meantime, the Ministry’s Director General for Housing Khalawi Abdul Hamid said that any beneficiary of the BSPS will receive Rp 20 million from the Government as a stimulant to renovate the beneficiary’s house.

Khalawi said that in a bid to improve the quality of people’s housing in Riau Province, Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing has deployed personnel from the Sumatra III Housing Development Agency to ensure the efficient, on time, and well-targeted housing development.

“In collecting data on prospective beneficiaries of the BSPS Program, the Sumatra III Housing Development Agency works hand in hand with the local government to ensure that the assistance is well-targeted,” Khalawi concluded. (PR of Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing/UN) (RI/MMB)