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Ref No.: L150218-GOV-01
PEJABAT DATUK BANDAR
Tingkat 27, Menara DBKL 1,
Jalan Raja Laut, 50350 Kuala Lumpur
18th February 2015
Dear YBhg. Datuk Seri Hj. Ahmad Phesal Hj. Talib (Kuala Lumpur City Mayor)
SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE AVAILABLE SUSTAINABLE SHELTERS FOR THE HOMELESS, IN KUALA LUMPUR
Refer to the above, I am touched to learn about the noble cause of PAM-DBKL Architectural Ideas Competition 2014 In Designing Temporary Shelters for The KL Homeless and would like to give suggestions to build and operate the aforementioned.
As of 2010, homelessness in Malaysia amounting to 1,646 person of which 84% (1,387) is from Kuala Lumpur. The composition of homelessness in the urban according to the statistics from Soup Kitchen are; 1 in 5 due to low wage, 1 in 5 mental illness, 1 in 2 unemployed, 40% were debt ridden, 1 in 5 were age over sixty, 1 in 20 rural-urban migration, 15-30% suffer chronic illness besides domestic violence, drugs addicts and lack of affordable housing& transport being the main reasons. Homelessness in Kuala Lumpur has not gone down in the recent decade despite dropping of poverty line index (PLI) from 2.3% in year 1999 to 0.7% in 2009. The city population is expected to reached 2.2millions in year 2020 thus the need to address the issue now is pressing.
Government had successfully reduced Malaysia overall absolute poverty from 49.3% in 1970 to 3.8% in 2010, however the mechanisms is more effective for rural instead of urban poor. NGO like Kechara Soup Kitchen has been striving to help homelessness for years and with KPWKM initiation on Anjung Singgah, a temporary shelter for counseling& job arrangement, is somewhat antidote to homelessness here.
I would like to suggest commercial advertisements to be sold on the façade space of the temporary shelters, as income to foot its construction and operation cost. Additionally, 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) center, partner with waste management companies& biodiesel processing factories, can be created, function as a center for collection, sorting, processing& marketing for recyclables such as cooking oil, old clothes, old newspaper, plastic bottles, glass& etc. Not only it can reduce our city burden to treat 3,000tones of municipal solid waste per day and the associate cost for landfill or incineration but contribute to raise current recycle rate of 10% toward our target of 40% by 2020, while create income for the homeless during permanent-job matching period.
In the addition, I would like to introduce the notion of Incredible Edible into our city landscape. It was started in Todmorden, UK, year 2007 and has since pollinated to 50 others town in UK and stretch over to Canada, New Zealand& US. Incredible edible is to convert public greenscape or unused spaces (e.g. school, police station, green belt, buffer zone below pylon, green buffer zone& garden) into edible garden. Judging from the favorable tropical climate and fertile land we have, nature is on our side. It’s another temporary jobs (food is a proven lucrative business) for the homeless especially to the rural migrants (80% of population will live in city by 2020 and a portion of homeless are rural migrants). Food prices is on the raise and climate change is part of the attribute. Moreover, it help to reduce the dependency ozone depleting refrigerants, transportation cost and cut down carbon footprint of our food source while give us the freshest& healthiest food.
Furthermore, we can take advantage of CIDB’s free construction skills courses as a platform to increase the employability and income level of the homeless. Replacing foreign labors with trained locals is fundamentally strengthen our national economy and manpower. Where possible, DBKL should consider to replace foreign labor with local as 20% of them attribute to local unemployment.
The suggestions above can only be realized with committed developers, either from DBKL, PAM, Kechara, MGBC, and collaboration among them or the like. Realistically, 20-35% of them (incapable of working) which are mentally incapable, incapable to work due to old age or severe illnesses should be properly channeled to relevant bodies, to ensure their welfare is being taken care of. 35-50% (480-690 potential manpower) homeless due to unemployment or low wages could be running the 3R center or trained as builder in CIDB, prepare to be independent and re-absorb into productive society. Another 10-15% rural migrant or interest group in agriculture can pollinate the ideas of incredible edible by example on designated land. Land below pylons is largely unused or being illegally occupied by private Nursery Company for the same purpose. The only different if DBKL or TNB would to reclaim or allow the land as incredible edible, it will eliminate illegal water& electrical thieves while generating revenue for good cause.
If targeted to resolve 100% (1,387) of homelessness based on 2010 batch by 2020, we would need shelters for 323 persons on top of Anjung Singgah 76 capacity, considered 15%(208) of incapable working and 20%(22.9person) rate of 115 back to productive society monthly for the next 48 months (starting 2016).
Revenue from advertisements on shelter’s façade greatly depend on the location (traffic flow& prospective viewers) and shelter design. A billboard would fetch around RM200, 000 p.a. & an advertisement panel on pedestrian bridge is around RM80, 000 p.a. Erection cost around 30% (discounted on rental), I believe it would contribute a substantial revenue for the program.
On a broader perspective to curb homelessness due to lack of affordable housing, in KL.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia, year 2010, show that absolute poverty or PLI adopted (as per 9th Malaysia Plan) in peninsular Malaysia is RM 763 (USD 254) per household size of 4.1 which is mean per capita PLI of RM 194 (USD64) per month. However if absolute poverty is a characterized by severe deficiency of basic human needs which including foods, shelters, safe drinking water, education, health, sanitation facilities and information, as per World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen 1995, then the PLI adopted is questionable if even RM2,000 per month cannot afford a house cost RM100,000.
Honestly, as of 2014-3rd quarter, the average cost of low-cost flat in KL are RM93, 371 (as per JPPJ data)which require household income of at least RM2,138/month to qualify for loan. The average KL residential prices is around RM500, 000 which required at least RM6, 868/month to qualify for repayment of RM2, 060/month (BLR 6.6%, Interest rate 4.25% for 35 years). The existing low-cost flat stock in KL is about 22% (95,647 units) and the second lowest cost residential (average cost RM184, 579/unit), flat, is 11% of the total 427,669 units. With only 0.78% (436 units) of low cost& 0.67% (374 units)flat of the total 55,584 units of residential under construction, It would be difficult for the 65.8% of youth who earn less than RM2,000 starting salary to own a low cost flat.. Only 6.5% of working adult earn more than RM5, 000. Youth might consider to take up some portion of the 7,921 units (5% of 160, 907 units) of Selangor low-cost flat that are under construction as their first home or save more money for better option.
House ownership has drop from 67.3% in year 2000 to 59% in year 2010. In 2011, the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey rates markets whose property prices are 5.1 times median income or more as “severely unaffordable” and we are at 9, based on average KL residential property of RM485,000 against annual household income of RM 54,000. Government should keep housing affordable not by building low-cost housing but increase household income by increase productivity beside monitor GINI coefficient to ensure more equally distributed wealth.
In Congruent with Malaysia Green Building Confederation’s vision; “To make Green buildings and Communities available to all Malaysians”. As member of MGBC and qualified Green Building Index (GBI) facilitator, I would like to volunteer my services as GBI facilitator for the program.
Thank you.
………………………….
TAY KIAN GUAN
Copy to:
1. Ar. Chan Seong Aun, PAM-Wisma Bandar,Level 11, No 18 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman,50100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2. Dato’ Ruby Khong, KECHARA SOUP KITCHEN- 17 Jalan Barat, (Off Jalan Imbi), 55100 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA.
3. Ar. Sarly Adre, MGBC- A-29-9, Block A, Menara UOA Bangsar, 59000 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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