Woman locked out of flat during painful divorce says she was forced to sleep in storage units and budget hotels
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A woman says she has been left without a permanent home while going through what she describes as a "painful and complex" divorce.
Stomper Shirin shared with Stomp that she legally co-owns her matrimonial flat and had paid for its renovation through a loan in her name.
However, on the day she was supposed to collect the keys to the flat, she claimed her ex-husband, allegedly acting on his mother's instructions, locked her out.
"For months, I was forced to sleep in storage units and budget hotels, and eventually had to rent a $1,100-a-month room just to survive," the 31-year-old Singaporean said.
"Even after I re-entered the flat with a locksmith's help, I've been living with constant fear of being forced out again.
"Worse, during personal protection order (PPO) hearings and Syariah proceedings, I was emotionally manipulated and gaslighted - not just by my ex-husband and his family, but by his lawyer, who invalidated my trauma in court and made the entire process feel like character assassination rather than justice."
She said she experienced "prolonged emotional abuse" during her marriage, which finally broke down in November 2023.
"I have no surviving family members and no permanent home," she added.
"I'm not asking for luxury - I just want a safe roof over my head, and for those who emotionally abuse the system to be held accountable.
"The Housing Board (HDB) says I'm ineligible to retain it or apply for another flat because I'm under 35, single, and have no children.
"Despite being co-owner and bearing renovation loan debt in my name, my pleas have been rejected."
She has made appeals to the authorities to be allowed to remain in the flat until she turns 35 or to be given affordable interim rental housing below $1,800 a month in Woodlands.
Shirin said she hopes sharing her story will shed light on the struggles of women in similar situations.
"I'm reaching out to you with the hope that my voice - and the voices of women like me - will finally be heard."
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