Can You, Put Out a Forest Fire with Small Cups of Water?
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FAMILY OF NINE SETS UP HOME AT EAST COAST PARK
They won't accept help even when...
Child nearly drowns
Told they can remain together
January 18, 2008
THIS family of nine chose to live on East Coast beach instead of accepting help from aid agencies.
The family at East Coast Park last week. Picture: CHOO CHWEE HUA
Their reason: They didn't want to split up and stay in different places.
Even when they were told they could stay together, they chose to wait for a rental flat.
Eventually, the authorities asked them to leave the beach and they went to live with relatives.
And not a moment too soon, as life outdoors was getting to be a bit too much for the four children, aged 1 to 4.
One child almost drowned, another had a bad bout of flu and the children had to be watched constantly as they would put sand in their mouths, said family members.
SOLD FLAT
The family's predicament began when they sold their three-room Commonwealth Crescent HDB flat in May last year, after running into financial difficulties.
Said Madam Govinda, 40, the sole breadwinner of the family: 'We could not afford to pay the instalments of $450 anymore and our debts to the HDB were increasing.
'We had nearly $18,000 to pay in interest alone.'
Her family - unemployed husband, two sons aged 19 and 17, daughter, 20, and four grandchildren - make do on the $1,200 a month that she earns as a security guard.
They claimed they did not get anything from selling their flat, as there was no money left after repaying HDB.
The family decided to apply to HDB for a rental flat.
Those who sell HDB flats are not allowed to apply for HDB rental flats for 30 months, to ensure that they do not compete with low-income families who do not own flats and have more urgent rental housing needs.
However, the HDB exercises flexibility on a case-by-case basis.
In this case and in view of the family's circumstances, it waived the 30-month rule.
The family applied for a two-room rental flat in June last year and was placed in a queue.
Madam Govinda said: 'We were hoping to get a flat on rent soon and were seeking shelter till we got it.'
She said the family first stayed with her husband's mother.
'But it was only a one-room flat and, with nine of us, it was getting very crowded.'
On 4 Jan, the family set up home under a shelter in East Coast Park.
Madam Govinda's son told The New Paper that they chose the area because it was close to his mother's workplace.
Said Madam Govinda: 'I feel bad for the kids. They are so young and have to face such bad conditions.
'One of them nearly drowned when he ran out towards the water by himself, without (us) noticing.
'I don't know what would have happened if we had not seen him intime,' she said.
Her daughter, Sri Vickneshwari, said: 'The children would run about, pick up things lying on the beach and try putting sand into their mouth if no one was watching over them.'
The youngest of her three children, a year-old baby, has been down with the flu after being in the open all the time.
A gunny sack on the ground, a tent borrowed from friends, packets of food on the stone bench, a few toys thrown around and everything covered with sand - that was home for about a week.
Madam Govinda continued going to work every morning while Sri stayed back to look after the rest of the family.
On 8 Jan, a park ranger advised themto contact the Ministry of Community Development, Youth andSports (MCYS).
They called the ComCare hotline.
MCYS officials met them the same day and offered to house them temporarily in welfare homes and to make special care arrangements for the young childre, but the family declined the help.
When asked about this, Madam Govinda said: 'We did not want to (be) separated from the kids because they are very young and need the family.'
Her husband, Mr Ruvy Varimuthu, 47, has been mostly unemployed for the past seven years.
She said that her 19-year-old son is serving a three-week sentence for assaulting his wife, who has since left him, taking two of their three children.
One of his children continues to stay with the family.
Her 17-year-old son was discharged from school for disciplinary problems and is waiting to do his NS.
None of her children has completed secondary school.
On Saturday, the family was asked to vacate the shelter and live elsewhere.
HELP OFFERED
MCYS again offered a temporary residence to house the entire family.
But they again declined.
They have now moved into Madam Govinda's sister's three-bedroom flat in Choa Chu Kang.
Mr Varimuthu is temporarily staying in the void deck of a block close to his mother's flat in Outram.
He does not stay with Madam Govinda's sister because of personal problems between them.
MCYS is following up with the family on other areas they may need help in.
Madam Govinda is thankful to MCYS and HDB for the help they have provided, but feels that getting a rental flat can solve their problems.
'At least we will have our own residence and can start sending the children to school,' she said.
An HDB spokesman said the board will inform Madam Govinda as soon as it is her turn to select a rental flat.
Megha Gupta, newsroom intern
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Call for help
Need help? Call ComCare at 1800 222 0000
Launched by the Government last week, it is a one-stop helpline to guide callers to the appropriate agency for assistance.
Service is available around the clock and the line has operators fluent in the four main languages and Chinese dialects.
In its two-month testing period, 30 per cent of the calls made to the hotline dealt with the homeless and destitute. -
This is the sad thing. They chose not to accept help...Originally posted by HyperFocal:THIS family of nine chose to live on East Coast beach instead of accepting help from aid agencies.
If only Gazelle wasn't banned, I would like to see him eat back his words that there are no destitute in Singapore. -
The problem is easy to solve.
The horse just have to open his mouth and the HDB can rent them a two-room flat right away. -
Huh! That fellow is banned???
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There are no destitute in Singapore...because they are swept up. Those without kin are sent to a destitute home.Originally posted by eagle:This is the sad thing. They chose not to accept help...
If only Gazelle wasn't banned, I would like to see him eat back his words that there are no destitute in Singapore. -
I think if policies are lax, they are prone to abuse, yet if policies are strict, they are prone to injustice.
I think Comcare is a good tool to help redress injustice. -
Agree Comcare is definitely a step in the right direction. Ruling party made a good decision thereOriginally posted by phil30k:I think if policies are lax, they are prone to abuse, yet if policies are strict, they are prone to injustice.
I think Comcare is a good tool to help redress injustice.
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what do you do with people who doesn't want help ? .....
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... good question, but perhaps we DO NOT know what they found out from approaching these "Helps"... ?Originally posted by Fatum:what do you do with people who doesn't want help ? .....
... they could have well tried & gave up due to the amount of Pre-requisites & or Conditions to be met, before help MAY BE rendered to them? By which time they fear they could have died 10 time... -
The poorer you, are the less liberty you have in SG. Countries that allows citizens to sleep on streets won't welcome poor Singaporeans either. Thus the destitute will end up in destitute homes.Originally posted by Fatum:what do you do with people who doesn't want help ? ..... -
Same thing as saying that voting for opposition results in allocation of undesirable flats, loss of civil job, getting harassed etc. Basically unfounded comments that does nothing to help their cause but raise doubts in people's minds only.Originally posted by HyperFocal:... good question, but perhaps we DO NOT know what they found out from approaching these "Helps"... ?
... they could have well tried & gave up due to the amount of Pre-requisites & or Conditions to be met, before help MAY BE rendered to them? By which time they fear they could have died 10 time... -
the past half a decade overseas has made me see street sleepers, bums, destitutes etc as part of the landscape, even though they do have way better non-goverment social welfare groups like the soup kitchens ....Originally posted by kramnave:The poorer you, are the less liberty you have in SG. Countries that allows citizens to sleep on streets won't welcome poor Singaporeans either. Thus the destitute will end up in destitute homes.
but this is Singapore ... we as a society have to decide on what you want to do with the people who will fail regardless ..... there will always be people who fail in any society, no matter how rich and successful the society as a whole is .... so do we sweep them up forcefully, or let them have the "freedom", the "liberty" to be street sleepers ? ....
a week after I got back late last year I went gai gai along orchard road one mid afternoon .... I counted 8 beggars, (some of them definitely foreign, that's another issue) ... and 5 disabled or geriatric tissue sellers, walking from tangs to plaza singapura ... some were squatting in the middle of the pavement and pedestrians had to detour around them .... what do you think should be done ? .... there are social services available, I know for a fact that some civic groups do talk to those people, and a friend who works in social services tells me that some of these people absolutely refuses an ounce of aid ... what do you do then ? ... call in the police and remove them ? ... legislate against sleeping on the streets, dump them in a home regardless ? ....
but hey, silly me, this is SC ... oh well nevermind, let the ranting continue, it's not really about solutions anyways ... -
Overseas, generally i see 2 types of beggars. One guy i have seen sitting around the same area for 10 years, looking quite decent and passes time solving crossword puzzles. Extreme ones that smell and look toxic, whom you just want to avoid for the sake of your general well-being.Originally posted by Fatum:the past half a decade overseas has made me see street sleepers, bums, destitutes etc as part of the landscape, even though they do have way better non-goverment social welfare groups like the soup kitchens ....
but this is Singapore ... we as a society have to decide on what you want to do with the people who will fail regardless ..... there will always be people who fail in any society, no matter how rich and successful the society as a whole is .... so do we sweep them up forcefully, or let them have the "freedom", the "liberty" to be street sleepers ? ....
a week after I got back late last year I went gai gai along orchard road one mid afternoon .... I counted 8 beggars, (some of them definitely foreign, that's another issue) ... and 5 disabled or geriatric tissue sellers, walking from tangs to plaza singapura ... some were squatting in the middle of the pavement and pedestrians had to detour around them .... what do you think should be done ? .... there are social services available, I know for a fact that some civic groups do talk to those people, and a friend who works in social services tells me that some of these people absolutely refuses an ounce of aid ... what do you do then ? ... call in the police and remove them ? ... legislate against sleeping on the streets, dump them in a home regardless ? ....
but hey, silly me, this is SC ... oh well nevermind, let the ranting continue, it's not really about solutions anyways ...
Over in Johor, you have handicapped beggars whose legs look like they are rotting. These beggars knock on your window and ask for money. These i also want to avoid.
In Singapore, generally most are buskers or they peddle tissues. They look pretty much alright and to a certain extent, well-kempt. I would suppose they are supplementing whatever they get from aid or perhaps it is their only source of income. One thing for sure, they look like they care for their personal well being. I would say let them continue doing what they do, just let them know that there is help available.
Those that lie on the streets and rot in humid Singapore, sorry to say but i wish that they are swept up. They have no means to care about themselves. Perhaps they are better off psychologically staying in the streets but they would be physically better off in a home. I do not want to philosophically ponder on whether its ethical to infringe on their liberty like that but yeah, just sweep them off.
On a side note, we may have religious institutions serving free food on certain days ? Comparable to soup kitchens i suppose. -
Societies value members who can contribute.
Welfare should have the objective of transforming them into contributing members of society.
Fines for breaking the laws should go into funds for members who cannot be transformed. Instead of jailtime, minor offenders may perform community care duties -
double post
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1 of the son is waiting to go ns.
what about the other son and daughter who is of working age already. Seems like they should go out and find a job to contribute to the family's income but they are not doing so.
Unfilial kids!
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The pygmy horse must neigh and the HDB will listen.
