Help for the needy and less fortunate

Coordinated help for the needy already in place, replies ministry

WE THANK Mr Nicholas Teo for suggesting a one-stop assistance centre for the less fortunate ('Set up one-stop assistance centre for the less fortunate'; Monday) and share his aim of delivering help to the needy in a coordinated and expeditious manner.

Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Halimah Yacob recently highlighted in Parliament that we will be striving towards a 'no wrong door' policy, which means that those who need help will receive appropriate help regardless of which agency they approach.

This is important because a family in financial distress may also have multiple concurrent needs.

For these families, the first point of contact will work together with other relevant agencies to provide the appropriate assistance and intervention.

For example, if the family requires social work intervention, the community development councils (CDC), if approached, will link the family up with a family service centre (FSC) staffed by professional social workers.

Similarly, if a family were to turn up at an FSC seeking assistance, the centre, besides providing social work intervention, will also coordinate the help needed from various agencies depending on the needs of the case.

We will continue to review how help for families in need can be better coordinated, while placing the needy at the heart of what we do.

To this end, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports will encourage the development of service hubs to share resources among service providers and provide integrated assistance for those in need of help.

This will ideally allow clients with multiple needs to easily access services at one location, instead of having to travel to different places.

If anyone knows of someone who genuinely needs help, please point them to the CDCs, FSCs or call ComCare at 1800-222-0000.

Dr Benjamin Koh
Director
ComCare and Social Support Division
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
ST Forum, 4 Nov 2011

Set up one-stop assistance centre for the less fortunate
THE needy should not fall through cracks in our social safety system, and for that we should ensure that they know about the assistance schemes available and how to access them.

Needy citizens may be poorly educated or unaware of such schemes, and they may not know who to turn to for help.

A family finding itself in financial distress due to an unforeseen crisis may require assistance in terms of housing, children's education and medical needs. Beyond subsistence assistance, individual family members may require counselling, help in looking for work, and support and advice in dealing with creditors to get their lives back in order.

I suggest a one-stop centre to assist the less fortunate in getting the right help at the right time.

Such a centre's officers can work with community and social workers to identify those in need, and seek to better understand their circumstances with a view to not only getting them short-term assistance but also improving their long-term financial prospects.

This centre can provide details on all schemes, including those run by charitable and non-governmental organisations.

The centre's officers can serve as a liaison between government agencies and other organisations so that assistance can be offered on a coordinated and targeted basis to best address the needs of the less fortunate.

Such a centre is not intended to promote a culture of welfare but to ensure that citizens get the full breadth of assistance they need to live with dignity and optimism.

This may not guarantee happiness but should go some way towards giving Singaporeans a better sense of well-being as a society.
Nicholas Teo
ST Forum, 31 Oct 2011