Government to Renovate Unfit Homes for Families of Sekolah Rakyat Students

The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas have agreed to renovate 10,000 homes for the parents of students attending Sekolah Rakyat.

“Yes, 10,000 (homes). Alhamdulillah, this is extraordinary; Mr Ara has allocated in line with our expectations,” said Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf after a meeting with Housing and Settlement Areas Minister Maruarar Sirait in Jakarta on Monday.

The home renovation programme is an implementation of Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2025 on Optimising the Implementation of Poverty Alleviation and the Eradication of Extreme Poverty.

“Where the children attend school, their parents are empowered and supported through other strategic presidential programmes. One of them is assisting the families or parents of Sekolah Rakyat students with the construction or renovation of unfit homes to make them more habitable,” said Saifullah Yusuf.

“It is prioritised for families who have met the requirements, regarding land ownership and safety for the renovations,” said Saifullah Yusuf.

Meanwhile, Housing and Settlement Areas Minister Maruarar Sirait added that the home renovation or home surgery programme is part of the BSPS (Self-Help Housing Stimulus Assistance) programme of the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas.

“The President highly prioritises housing by significantly increasing the budget for home surgery, aimed at people who already have homes but are not yet habitable,” said the minister, who is affectionately called Ara.

In implementing this programme, the Ministry of Social Affairs will provide data on aid recipients to the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas, after which the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas will carry out the construction.