SHE knows the cramped room she calls home may not be the safest place to live, but for a 52-year-old woman who only wanted to be known as Atikah, there are few other options.
Earning about RM2,000 a month, the single mother said the RM500 monthly rent was all she could afford while supporting her children still in school.
“I have thought about the dangers of living in a place like this, but I have no choice.
“I cannot afford higher rent and my applications for public housing have been unsuccessful,” she said at her rented room during an inspection by the Fire and Rescue Department at a shophouse in Johor Baru.
Atikah has been living in the room for about two years, following her separation.
The shophouse has been modified and partitioned into small rental units without local authority approval and lacks essential fire safety features.
Atikah said her modest income as a People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) member left her with limited housing options.
“My salary is not much and I cannot afford high rent.
“I also have two school-going children, though they stay in a school hostel.
“I live here alone,” she said.
“If my children, including three older ones who are married, come to visit, we meet outside instead.”
Despite spending two years at the place without incident, Atikah admitted she was aware of the risks.
“Nothing bad has happened so far, but I know this room is uncomfortable and dangerous.
“But I have no choice,” she said, adding that moving somewhere safer would mean taking on rental costs her income simply could not stretch to cover.
Another occupant, who wished to be known only as Halim, said keeping his rental expenses low allowed him to send more of his earnings back to his family in Terengganu.
The factory worker said he moved to Johor for work and tried to keep his living costs in the city to a minimum.
“Whatever I earn here, I try to send as much as I can home.
“For me, the room is enough as I only need a place to sleep after work.
“I would rather spend less on rent so I can support my family,” he said.
Halim acknowledged that the living conditions were far from ideal, but said affordability was his main consideration.
“Of course, if I could get a better place for the same price, I would take it.
“But rent here is expensive. If I spend more on housing, there will be less money to send home,” he said.
He said he spends most of his day at work and returns to the room mainly to rest before heading back to the factory the following day.
Like Atikah, Halim said he was aware that living in such cramped conditions carried severe risks, but felt that his financial options were limited.
“I hope there will be more affordable places for people like us.
“We come here to earn money, but we also have families back home who depend on us,” he said.
