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You may have read a Sunday Times news report dated 19 April 2020 about “Sam”, his wife and his family of 4 children. Many readers voiced concern why the family was left with only $200 until their next ComCare payout in May. We are encouraged by the public’s outpouring of offers of assistance to the family. Indeed, during this pandemic, many low-income households will be badly affected, and we need to coordinate and pull together to support them.
As for “Sam” and his family, MSF, along with our community partners, schools and grassroots organisations, have been helping them before the Circuit Breaker period and will continue to do so. “Sam” and his family have been receiving the following support:
ComCare and financial assistance
1) The family was first assisted with ComCare in September 2010. Since March 2020, they have been receiving ComCare assistance of $1,200 in cash every month. ComCare separately covers their HDB rent, utilities, service & conservancy charges and medical expenses. The family most recently received ComCare assistance on 3 April 2020 to support their daily needs, including food and groceries.
2) As “Sam” had lost his job since he was last assessed by the SSO, he and his family will receive $2300 in monthly ComCare assistance from 4 May 2020, for 6 months.
3) To support the family before the increased ComCare in May, MUIS has provided them with Zakat Emergency Assistance of $300 cash and $120 in vouchers.
4) On 14 April 2020, husband and wife received $1200 in Solidarity Payments from the Ministry of Finance.
5) Community partners, Mendaki and Al-Muttaqin Mosque, are also supporting the family. They had reached out to the family before the closure of mosques, and the mosque continues to check in on the family.
6) The family’s four children are recipients of the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme.
They do not need to pay school fees and receive full subsidies for standard miscellaneous fees.
• Their meals in school are covered.
• During the Circuit Breaker period, the children are further supported by MOE’s extended school meal subsidies ($60 for each primary school student and $120 for each secondary school student) and additional subsidies of $20 from public donations for each primary school-going child. They will receive top-ups to their School Smartcard which the family can use to purchase food and essential groceries at some hawker centres, food courts, minimarts, convenience stores and supermarkets.
• Each of the primary school-going children also receive $60 monthly from The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.
Food and meals for the family
7) Other community partners, such as Ang Mo Kio Family Services Centre (FSC) and Food from the Heart, provide monthly food rations to the family.
SSO@Ang Mo Kio (SSO@AMK) is also linking the family up with the Community Development Council (CDC) to place the family on the Student Meals scheme, which provides meal vouchers.
9) In addition, Kebun Baru Grassroots is working on providing halal dinners for the family, and have offered them food delivery if they require it.
Laptops for home-based learning
10) The children’s schools and several community partners, including AMK FSC, have offered to support the children’s home-based learning by providing them with laptops/tablets. The family previously turned down the schools’ offer and recently collected a tablet from AMKFSC. SSO@AMK is coordinating with the schools, FSC and Mendaki on the provision of laptops for the family.
Employment assistance and counselling
11) SSO@AMK had earlier arranged for “Sam” to meet with the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) for employment assistance in February 2020. “Sam” did not turn up for the appointment. SSO@AMK will continue to reach out to him to provide guidance and support on employment.
12) Community partners, Ang Mo Kio FSC and WE CARE Community Services also provide the family with counselling support and study programmes to support their various needs.
We contacted “Sam” on 19 April 2020 to assess if his family required further support. “Sam” shared that he had not left any voice mail messages on the SSO mainline nor his case worker’s direct line, and was not expecting a response from our SSO colleagues. Nevertheless, we have encouraged the family to approach our SSOs anytime they require further assistance. Our SSO colleagues and community partners will continue to look out for “Sam” and his family, and support them.
Building an inclusive and caring society is a collective effort. If members of the public would like to volunteer with our SSOs or community partners to support lower income households, or other vulnerable groups, such as rough sleepers and seniors who need help during the pandemic, you can drop us a private message on our MSF FB page.
