SENSEMinistry of National Development (MND) has recently announced enhancements to the Silver Housing Bonus (SHB) and Fresh Start Housing Scheme (Fresh Start). These enhancements are part of the government’s continuous efforts to support senior citizens in right-sizing and to improve public housing access for lower-income households residing in HDB rental flats.Under the SHB, senior citizens are incentivized to better prepare for retirement by unlocking the value of their residential assets and transferring it into their CPF Retirement Account (RA). Currently, to be eligible for the SHB, applicants must be 55 years or older, earn a monthly income of not more than $14,000, have an existing property with an Annual Value (AV) not exceeding $21,000, and their replacement property must be a HDB flat of three rooms or smaller (excluding three-room terrace).However, starting from 1st December 2020, applicants will be qualified for the SHB cash bonus if they can prove that their right-sizing exercise results in a net increase to their CPF RA account balance from any source, including CPF housing refunds. This means that seniors with outstanding loans on their residences using their CPF accounts may no longer need to make a cash top-up to be eligible for the SHB. Additionally, the SHB has been extended to allow seniors who own higher-valued properties to qualify. Now, applicants with properties with an AV of over $21,000 but not more than $13,000 are eligible, which is estimated to benefit 15,000 additional seniors. The cash bonus will be pro-rated at the rate of $1 for every $6 increase in their RA, up to a maximum of $10,000. Successful applicants who right-size to a two-room or smaller HDB flat (including Community Care Apartments) will receive an additional non-pro-rated cash bonus of $10,000.On the other hand, the Fresh Start Housing Scheme, launched in 2016, offers financial assistance and social support to Second Timers (ST) families who have previously bought a subsidised HDB flat to help them achieve homeownership. Under the current scheme, applicants can purchase two-room flexi or three-room standard BTO flats with shorter lease lengths, ranging from 45 to 65 years, lasting until the youngest owner turns 95. These flats have an extended Minimum Occupation Period of 20 years, compared to the usual five years. Enhancements to the scheme include an increased financial support of $75,000, up from the previous $50,000. This consists of an initial disbursement of $60,000 credited to the applicants’ CPF Ordinary Account (OA) before their key collection dates, and the remaining $15,000 will be disbursed over the next five years to support mortgage payments. The eligibility criteria have also been expanded to allow First-Timer (FT) families to apply, although they are still ineligible for the Fresh Start Housing Grant as they can benefit from the larger Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of up to $120,000. Nonetheless, they can still take advantage of the reduced cost of shorter-lease BTO units and the social support provided under the program. Eligible FT families can apply for Fresh Start in April 2025, and the revisions to the Fresh Start Grant amount will take effect from the July 2025 BTO exercise.