Friends offer the homeless loans to rent a home

Three friends launch the Mak Minah Project to tackle poverty hands-on by providing interest-free loans to the homeless in Kuala Lumpur.

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KUALA LUMPUR: A two-year-old stumbles upon the lifeless body of a drug addict at the doorstep of a shelter.

This is a situation Sara Sukor feels no child should have to encounter.

As a mother who dedicates her spare time to feeding the homeless, this harrowing scene deeply moved her and gave her a glimpse into what the poor, unfortunate and downtrodden endure in the unforgiving city, especially when they do not have a decent roof over their heads.

This is one of the reasons Sara and friends, Cindy Gan and Ayu Abdullah, took matters into their own hands by helping people rent homes.

They provide micro-credit loans through their initiative, the Mak Minah Project, inspired by a P Ramlee classic.

Through this initiative, the three hope to help those desperately seeking a better life by first relocating them to more suitable neighbourhoods with friendlier surroundings.

The friends found that among the biggest hurdles the homeless faced in renting a decent place, was the upfront cost, including rental deposit. In most cases, tenants have to fork out three months’ rent to get a home, and all in the first month.

“Our project pays for the deposit of moving in. The families can pay us back as much as they want or what they are capable of,” Ayu said, adding that the loans were interest free.

Once repaid, the funds will be used to help the next family. Money for the loans is collected through crowd-funding among friends and family members.

Sara said the idea for the project was conceived back in 2014 during one of their regular soup kitchen runs in the capital.

“We visited one of the families that came to our soup kitchen. They lived in a small room in Chow Kit, which comprised of four makeshift rooms in a shop lot.

“We found out the room charges were between RM25 to RM30 a night, or between RM400 to RM500 a month. People can pay the rental but have difficulty coming up with the deposit.”

When asked about the possibility of defaulters, Sara said it was merely a risk they needed to take.

“We told them that as long as they talked to us and let us know their financial situation, it was negotiable. But just don’t disappear suddenly.

“Everything is done based on trust and we trust them not to abuse it.”

Ayu said the group was currently exploring the possibility of extending the loans to include other options such as education fees and even obtaining a driver’s licence, all in the name of empowering the unfortunate.

“We want to provide for things that will indirectly have an impact on their lives.”