Overcrowded maid shelter to close
By Tan Wei Zhen
Overcrowding can lead to health problems, said URA, so the three-storey house in Hougang, which doubles as a shelter for close to 100 homeless maids, will have to close down by Wednesday. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
A HOUSE doubling as a shelter for close to 100 homeless maids is about to be closed down by the authorities.
The maids, many of them victims of abuse and rape, will be forced to leave the three-storey building in Hougang by Wednesday, following an eviction order from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
The house is run by activist group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home). The roughly 100 maids share seven bedrooms and five bathrooms.
The URA said overcrowding on that scale can lead to health problems. '(They) may present health and hygiene issues that may adversely affect the workers themselves,' said a spokesman. It also received complaints from residents.
After the eviction order, Home volunteers decided to stop taking in maids for the time being. Home has asked the URA to approve a new site for a shelter. The Ministry of Manpower said it is helping existing maids to return to their home countries, if they wish to.
While some neighbours were against the shelter, some, like Mr Robin Chng, felt the maids were peaceful and should be left alone.
By Tan Wei Zhen
Overcrowding can lead to health problems, said URA, so the three-storey house in Hougang, which doubles as a shelter for close to 100 homeless maids, will have to close down by Wednesday. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
A HOUSE doubling as a shelter for close to 100 homeless maids is about to be closed down by the authorities.
The maids, many of them victims of abuse and rape, will be forced to leave the three-storey building in Hougang by Wednesday, following an eviction order from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
The house is run by activist group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home). The roughly 100 maids share seven bedrooms and five bathrooms.
The URA said overcrowding on that scale can lead to health problems. '(They) may present health and hygiene issues that may adversely affect the workers themselves,' said a spokesman. It also received complaints from residents.
After the eviction order, Home volunteers decided to stop taking in maids for the time being. Home has asked the URA to approve a new site for a shelter. The Ministry of Manpower said it is helping existing maids to return to their home countries, if they wish to.
While some neighbours were against the shelter, some, like Mr Robin Chng, felt the maids were peaceful and should be left alone.
