Tag Archives: Needy

Our contributor questions the decrease in number of households receiving financial aid despite the increase in unemployment and economic downturn. What's going on? Is the Government doing enough to help those who are needy but do not fall under Comcare's criteria?

A kind man is donating money to 20 needy families in Singapore because it's his birthday today. He is offering $100 for each family and is requesting for details on any needy family for him to help with. Happy Birthday, what a kind soul!

Has tax deduction somehow discouraged people from making donations? Our reader noticed a plunge in donations after SG50 and wonder if we can help needy Singaporeans if this continues.

A needy family living in a 3-room flat in Sengkang has electricity cut off after her Pay U reached zero value. The woman suffers from breast cancer, lost her job and her mother recently passed on. Do you think our welfare system is enough to help someone like her who's struggling to stay afloat?

I came across a news snippet while having a multi-racial Iftar with friends who have become concerned about a government "crackdown" online funding as most of the recipients are from the Muslim community.

I am somewhat confused. Can anyone help to explain what does “would ensure that there was no excessive help given to some particular needy persons on the one hand, and no neglect of families on the other hand, ensuring a spread of support to all households that need support” mean? According to the ComCare annual report for FY2015 – there were 39,548 unique households (86,759 unique beneficiaries) that received financial assistance. So, how do we decide which of the 39,548 households to give the eggs for only 2,500 needy households to? Is it not indicative, arguably, of how inadequate our assistance programmes under ComCare are? With each Community Development Council (CDC) or town council having their own piecemeal assistance programmes – we may have a situation whereby getting milk powder or eggs, etc, may depend on where you live.

Makes you wonder how much prices have risen, and how far behind the poor and needy are left behind by the high cost of living. We keep saying that Singapore is a wealthy nation, but a true show of wealth is how a nation treat it's needy. Are we doing enough?

Madam Shireen is a 34 years old mother of 4 kids, 2 boys are her own, while the other 2 girls are left to her care due to their own broken family left behind by their own parents. She also has a mother whom she’s the only caregiver full time, and thus she’s unable to find work that’s too far away.

It would appear that some constituencies have such schemes, whilst others don’t, and the type and quantum of assistance varies. So, does it mean that a needy family may have to depend on luck – dependent upon where they live? Why can’t the Government fund and operate such a scheme across all constituencies?

EXERCISE AGAIN? It's 34°C. It's hot. It's humid. It's peak hour heavy traffic. Every day is a struggle for him, Minister, and it is glaringly obvious he isn't exercising under such trying and adverse conditions.