He said this in response to a question from Nurul Izzah Anwar (PH-Permatang Pauh) on actions that will be undertaken by the ministry to address poverty faced by women and children in public housing projects which was highlighted by a Unicef report titled “Families on the Edge”.

According to Reezal, the ministry will take the necessary steps to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable residents are met.

“The government will especially prioritise the housing needs of single mothers with low income, the disabled, and senior citizens.

“I also believe that our public housing projects must not only be cheap and affordable, but they must also be liveable with amenities like high-speed internet connection in place to cater to the needs of the children who have to undergo online learning.

“It is pointless if these public housing project units are affordable but not liveable,” he said.

Unicef published the “Families on the Edge” report in May 2021, highlighting the dire situation faced by 500 low-income families in 16 public housing projects in Kuala Lumpur alone.

According to the report, many single mothers have lost their jobs during the pandemic while children living in these housing projects lack access to food that provides them with the proper nutritional value.