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35 volunteers clean cluttered Toa Payoh flat in 2 hours, find S$1,000 note gnawed by rats
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Volunteers removed six rats from the cluttered flat, where the elderly siblings had reportedly slept beside a dead rat.
By Gary Yang - 9 Sep 2025, 2:18 pm
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Volunteers discover rat-bitten S$1,000 note and other bank notes while cleaning cluttered Toa Payoh flat
A team of 35 volunteers spent two hours clearing a cluttered Toa Payoh flat for three elderly siblings. During the process, they stumbled upon a shocking sight: stacks of cash, including a S$1,000 note chewed by rats.Three siblings live for decades in cluttered flat
According to a Shin Min Daily News report on 7 September, three siblings in their seventies and eighties have spent the past 20 years living in a hoarded flat at Block 105, Lorong 1 Toa Payoh.The second sister, 78, still collects cardboard daily, earning just six to seven dollars to cover basic expenses.
The family survives with support from various charities and community organisations.
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Source: Helping Joy Ltd “助乐” – IPC Charity Organization
Local charity Helping Joy Ltd brought volunteers to the flat on Sunday (7 Sept) to help with the massive cleanup.
By noon, 35 volunteers of various ethnicities were seen moving furniture, clearing clutter, and forming human chains to carry trash down the stairs.
Some of them also used handcarts to move the clutter.
Stacks of cash found amidst clutter
As volunteers sifted through the clutter, they discovered stacks of cash from the garbage bags inside the flat.Some were hidden in red packets — ranging from S$2 to S$1,000.
However, rats had gnawed many of the banknotes, including a S$1,000 bill.
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Source: Shin Min Daily News
Volunteer Wen Ailing (name transliterated), 47, said: “As long as the serial numbers on the notes are intact, we can still try to exchange them at the bank. If the serial numbers are damaged, it will be very difficult to salvage them.”
Volunteers also separated the intact banknotes from the damaged ones, filling a large jar with just the ruined ones.
Ms Wen revealed that she had encountered similar situations, where elderly residents would hide cash in jars or various corners, only to later forget about it.
A total of six rats cleared from flat
Volunteers managed to remove six rats from the cluttered flat, where the elderly siblings had once reportedly slept beside a dead rat.Volunteers also discovered three to four rats hiding under the altar and a dead rat nearby.
The infestation extended to cockroaches, prompting plans for insecticide spraying, repainting, and returning furniture.
Volunteer Ms Chen (surname transliterated), 42, said: “There were rats in the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms; six in total. Two of the rats were about 20 centimetres long, with four smaller ones.”
Source: Helping Joy Ltd “助乐” – IPC Charity Organization
Ms Wen revealed that the family will soon receive new furniture worth approximately S$5,000.
“The flat is small, so the cleanup was manageable. Larger flats or hoards reaching the ceiling would be far more challenging,” she said.
Family grateful for fresh start
Resident Madam Ou Yayang (name transliterated from Chinese), 78, expressed gratitude to the volunteers and donors.She said the cleanup has finally made the flat more comfortable to live in.
“I’m usually busy collecting cardboard and taking care of my family, so I haven’t had time to tidy up, but I will do my best to maintain it,” she said.
Mdm Ou also shared that a rat once bit her toe in her sleep, leaving her in fear of being bitten again.
After the story ran, many compassionate readers contacted Shin Min Daily News to offer support for the siblings.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Philanthropist Dato Sri Tahir (Ang Tjoen Ming) was one of them.
The founder of Indonesia’s Mayapada Group said he will provide S$500 a month for the next two years to help ease the family’s financial burden.
A Nanyang University graduate, he worked locally in his younger years and has periodically donated to underprivileged communities in both Singapore and Indonesia.
Helping Hand has also launched an online fundraiser, inviting the public to donate money or sponsor items for the family. The organisation has not disclosed how much has been raised so far.
Also read: 3 elderly siblings live in cluttered Toa Payoh flat, volunteers helping to clear mess
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Featured image adapted from Helping Joy Ltd “助乐” – IPC Charity Organization on Facebook & Shin Min Daily News.
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