Night has fallen. Apart from the dull orange of flickering streetlights, a cluster of flats at Boon Lay Drive remains sheathed in darkness. Their walls, dirtied and archaic, look like they have seen better days. Rats the size of small kittens furtively scurry past in gutters that line the perimeters of each flat.

The flats at Boon Lay Drive house an eclectic mix of low-income families, migrant workers, and – unbelievably, university students.

The difference between the former two and the latter is the exorbitant rental fees university students pay to live in Block 189, an old rental flat marginally refurbished to become the hostel known to several as yo:HA.

Previously, students had the option of housing at Gillman Heights. The now-defunct residential area was leased out in an en-bloc sale in early 2007, forcing several students to vacate on short notice. Faced with a dearth of accommodation on campus, university students have little option but to live in alternate types of housing.

Ironically, the notion of getting more bang for your buck does not really apply in this instance. The problem with such an arrangement arises when students have to fork out more money to stay in down-market conditions.

University students who stay at yo:HA find themselves faced with problems such as safety, theft, and faulty sanitation.

Safety is an issue, especially for female students. There is a security guard at the ground floor of yo:HA, but the reassurance is minimal. Outsiders still loiter outside the hostel.

Roli Kala, a postgraduate business administration student from New Delhi, said that she sees such shady characters sometimes.

“At night, there are people around, drinking alcohol at the ground floor outside the flat,” she said.

There is a heightened sense of danger when these strangers go one step further and try to establish contact.

Turkish student Hatice had one such encounter with an Indian migrant worker who lives in one of the rental flats near yo:HA.

The sociology sophomore was taking the public bus home from Boon Lay interchange one day, when she caught the man staring at her throughout the entire journey.

“He kept looking at me throughout the bus ride and kept on muttering something. I was so scared,” she said.

Problems of theft, especially for laptops, also crop up.

Until recently, the units used to lack window grilles. As a result, thieves would stick their hands in from the outside, unlock the door, and walk in to steal valuable possessions.

The residential units at yo:HA now have window grilles, but occupants are still wary, even more so because the thefts were most probably carried out by occupants in the flat. Outsiders are not allowed inside without getting past the security guard.

Safety and theft are not the only foul things around. Faulty sanitation in certain units can make life unpleasant for some unfortunate yo:HA residents.

Some units have problematic sewage systems, which lead to nauseating smells emitting from the toilet everytime a tap is turned on.

Due to these problems, grouses of administrative inefficiency and a lack of initiative have been brought to the frontier.

Residents have the option to approach the necessary authorities if they have problems, but these problems may not be dealt with swiftly.

Kala said, “That is one problem. Whenever we ask them for something, they don’t come back to us quickly.”

When contacted, Mr. Tee from the yo:HA management said that they send out security patrol frequently.

He added, "When students have problems, they can let us know and we will get back to them within three days, if the matter is urgent."

The Boon Lay hostel was set up a year ago, partly due to a contract between the yo:HA management and the NUS Office Student of Affairs. yo:HA is recognised as one of the main alternatives to off-campus accomodation and a significant portion of the hostel is specifically set aside for NUS students.

The cost of staying in the cheapest unit at the on-campus Prince George’s Park Residences starts from a low of approximately S$1,500 for half a year. In comparison, students living at yo:HA pay up to an estimated S$1,780 for the same duration.

However, when faced with a lack of choice, yo:HA will continue to be the de facto place to stay at.

In the words of Turkish student Hatice, “We don’t have a choice.”