For those truly in need of temporary housing for whatever reason, community activist Kuan Chee Heng hopes to provide the solution with his RM1 houses, where it costs only RM1 to stay there each night.

Launched today, the two houses in Taman Puchong Utama were initially meant to provide temporary housing to relatives of hospitalised patients who come from afar to take care of their family members.

“We’ve readied two houses, for anyone from far who need to be with their relative at the hospital, so they can ask to stay at the RM1 house,” Kuan said.

However, he added, they are also open to accepting anyone in need of temporary housing, such as domestic abuse victims.

There is already a family staying in one of the houses, he said, whose house burned down last night.

“He (the man whose house burned down) couldn’t say anything (when I met him). He just said ‘Alhamdullilah’.

“People don’t need to thank with words, they thank with their hearts,” Kuan said.

The occupants are also welcome to stay for as long as they need to, he said, provided they obey the rules and regulations of the RM1 house.

He insisted that out of respect, the houses are ‘halal’, which means no pork will be allowed in the houses as well as beef. The rules also forbid sexual intercourse in the house.

Occupants are expected to keep the houses clean. In exchange, Kuan (photo) said, they are free to use all the facilities provided in the house.

For now, aside from the bare furnishings, the houses are also equipped with a television, water heater and a fully stocked kitchen. He also intends to install a desktop computer with WiFi access later on.

However, he warned that if any of the occupants are found to have broken the rules, he is entitled to discontinue their stay.

Meanwhile, Kuan said the fully-stocked kitchen was courtesy of his more than 200,000 followers on Facebook, who had come in droves to donate food items as well as toiletries in the days leading up to the launch.

“My followers on Facebook, they drove here to drop off a lot of rice, canned food, shampoo, soap. It is like (we are) going to war.

“I don’t know their names. They don’t want to give me their names, I only know their car plate numbers,” he related.

The RM1 houses, he said, still aims to cater mainly to relatives of the sick who cannot afford to stay in more costly accommodations.

'You must be someone in need'

Kuan got the idea to set up these houses when he started hearing of cases of relatives of the sick who end up sleeping in their cars because they cannot afford anywhere else.

“(For example) when you love your father or mother, you want to stay with them if they have terminal illnesses.

“(But if you don’t have anywhere to stay) this will also affect your health. Actually, this is a very emotional thing.(We are) trying to provide a comfortable, conducive place to stay,” he said.

The RM1 house initiative has reached out to government hospitals, such as the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM), Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM) and National Cancer Institute (IKN) so that whoever in need can go through the hospitals’ social unit.

Those seeking to stay at the RM1 houses can also contact Kuan directly through his Facebook, he said.

“No forms to fill up, no documents needed, just come and try. We are not rigid with the rules. The condition is that you must be someone in need,” he said.

Though the houses were just launched today, he said they already have an influx of requests from interested parties, including those who are just exaggerating their situation.

“Those we don’t bother with,” he said.

Kuan, who runs the Community Policing Malaysia (CPM) group, said they are renting the two-storeyed houses with a total of seven rooms at RM1,100 per house every month.

Along with the utilities and other expenses, he estimates the cost of running the two houses to be around RM4,000 every month.

The cost of this initiative will be funded almost entirely by entrepreneur Paul Lim, who said he will fund the two houses “forever”.

“Kuan is my best friend, and I believe he is very sincere so I try to help,” Lim said to the press during a tour of one of the houses. He also estimated that they have already spent RM80,000 in refurbishing and furnishing the two houses.

Kuan, who also runs a 10-sen ambulance and taxi service, said he hopes to open up at least five more RM1 houses by the end of this year.