SINGAPORE – The number of households receiving short-to-medium term assistance from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has increased by 7 per cent to hit 29,511 in 2015.
They make up the majority of those who benefitted from the $130 million disbursed through the government’s ComCare schemes – a social assistance fund for low-income individuals and families. The scheme benefitted 87,000 households in 2015.
The disbursement amount is 10 per cent higher than 2014, MSF said in its ComCare Annual Report and Trends for the 2015 work year.
There was a similar upward trend for recipients on long-term assistance from 3,846 in 2014 to 4,248 in 2015. These recipients were mainly the elderly aged 65 years and above who lived alone, the report added.
“One trend that caught my attention is that we are seeing more households with older persons or retirees requiring social assistance,” Minister for Social and Family Development Mr Tan Chuan-Jin wrote in a Facebook post.
“This could be due to smaller families and an ageing population. “
Households on short-to-medium term assistance were mostly headed by persons aged between 45 to 64 years.
Children receiving Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA) also registered an 15 per cent increase in 2015 with 9,605 beneficiaries.
Mr Tan wrote: “While there is greater economic uncertainty today, the proportion of unemployed ComCare applicants has remained stable.”
“We will continue to monitor the trends closely, and work with community partners to reach out and provide care and support to the vulnerable elderly and families. Families remains the first line of defence.”
grongloh@sph.com.sg
