Phu Loi ward of Thu Dau Mot city spreads "Humane lodging house - Kind-hearted Thu land"

"Humane lodging house—Kind-hearted Thu land" is one of the meaningful programs being implemented as part of the campaign "Building a cultural and civilized lifestyle" in Thu Dau Mot city. Recently, this model has received considerable attention from local leaders in Phu Loi ward, who have introduced and replicated it in many boarding houses.

Ho Thanh Tinh's lodging house receives local support to invest in a badminton court, allowing lodgers to engage in recreational activities.

Kindness

Due to a work accident from which he has not yet recovered, Do Tuan Anh has had to quit his job and stay home for many months. Currently, he, his wife and two small children are renting a lodging room at Ho Thanh Tinh's lodging house in Quarter 5, Phu Loi Ward. He said that before, the couple were both workers; their income was not much, but it was enough to cover their living expenses. For the last few months, he has been staying at home without earning any money, making life more difficult for his small family.

“I'm sad, but the good thing is that the landlords here are very friendly and create the best conditions for the lodgers. The lodging house also provides ample space for children to play; tenants returning home from work have a designated area to sit, enjoy tea, and play badminton for entertainment. “We've been living here for more than three years, and our landlord is really friendly. If I were still working in Binh Duong, my family would definitely choose to stay here”, Anh said.

Mr. Tinh's lodging house is one of the "Humane lodging houses - Kind-hearted Thu land" in Phu Loi ward; this program was launched by Steering Committee of the ward's urban civilization project in early June 2024. Mr. Tinh said that his boarding house currently has 23 rooms and accommodates about 60 people, the rent is 800,000 VND/room. Most of the tenants are workers, students, and freelancers, including those who have been attached to Mr. Tinh's boarding house since it was opened. To have that long-term attachment, reasonable prices, a cool living environment, and a close and affectionate relationship between the landlord and the tenants are also very important. Mr. Tinh and his wife always care for and support the lodgers in times of difficulty and illness, such as by giving them gifts and reducing their room fees.

Recently, the ward chose Mr. Tinh's boarding house to pilot the program "Humane lodging house—Kind-hearted Thu land". The local government's support has enabled the renovation of the boarding house's central space into a badminton court, providing recreation for the tenants. This project includes nets, mats, rackets, and shuttlecocks at a total cost of about 4.5 million VND. Ho Thanh Tinh's family will also waive or reduce room fees for workers having particularly difficult circumstances or those who are sick or unemployed, provide free wifi for tenants, and mobilize local socialization sources to care for lodgers.

“I find this program very meaningful. In the afternoon, the children come home from school and eagerly head to the playground to play badminton together, bringing joy and enhancing the cultural life of the tenants. The landlord also benefits, for example, when there is a vacant room, the locality helps introduce people to rent rooms here...", Mr. Tinh added.

Continue to spread

According to Le Thanh Liem, Standing Deputy Secretary of Phu Loi Ward Party Committee, to improve the quality of the campaign "Building a cultural and civilized urban lifestyle" in Thu Dau City during the 2021-2025 period, Phu Loi ward asked departments, unions, and neighborhoods in the area to organize a campaign for lodging houses’ owners to respond, including the program "Humane lodging house—Kind-hearted Thu land". As a result, lodging houses’ owners in the area have actively joined hands with the locality in taking care of and supporting lodging workers having difficult circumstances to have more conditions to stabilize their lives.

Phu Loi ward has partnered with lodging house owners to implement this program in 7 lodging houses. Landlords at these "Humane lodging houses” have reduced rent for disadvantaged or sick tenants and installed free Wi-Fi. Any area with favorable conditions will open a healthy playground for workers after work hours.

In addition to the badminton court at Ho Thanh Tinh's boarding house, the "Humane lodging houses" owned by Le Thi Kim Anh (quarter 8) is also invested to have a public area and a garden with nearly 100 flower pots and ornamental plants of all kinds to create green space and fresh air for people living in the boarding house. Areas that do not have enough land will be used to organize other volunteer activities such as giving gifts to disadvantaged lodging workers.

Mr. Liem mentioned that due to the success of the program, the Steering Committee for improving the quality of the "Building a Cultural and Civilized Urban Lifestyle" campaign in the ward will continue to inspect and encourage boarding houses in the area to implement and promote this program in the community. The ward is working to engage the local community in supporting workers who face difficult circumstances. This support aims to help the workers feel secure in their jobs, develop a strong connection to the area, and improve their overall well-being. This effort contributes to the successful implementation of social welfare initiatives and supports the goals of the "Building a cultural and civilized urban lifestyle" campaign for the period 2021-2025.

Reported by Hong Thuan - Translated by Ngoc Huynh