Poverty Alleviation Strategies in Singapore

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Poverty Alleviation Strategies in Singapore

• Yap Mui Teng
• Senior Research Fellow
• Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore

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Prevalence

• No official poverty line (as in Hong Kong)
• Dept of Statistics
• Minimum Household Expenditure (MHE)
• Half of median per capita household income
• Information on income distribution but for income
  from work only
• Different income criteria used for determining
  eligibility for assistance and in means tests

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Prevalence

• Estimates vary
• 2000 on public assistance (late 1990s)
• 30,000 households (MTI 1996)
• 120,000 or 4 of resident population (DOS, figure
  for 1998)
• 100,000 households (welfare agencies 2001)
• Prevalence of poverty difficult to know

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Poverty Alleviation Strategy

• Independence, self reliance
• Jobs
• Education, skills development/upgrading, training
  and re-training
• Job creation, investment promotion (attracting
  foreign investment), entrepreneurship promotion
• Jobs links, matching
• Family support
• Promotion of family values
• Legislative, administrative measures (e.g. tax
  reliefs for caring for parents and CPF top-ups,
  use of Medisave, Maintenance of Parents Act)

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Poverty Alleviation Strategy

• Community
• Community Development Councils (CDCs)
• Voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs)
• Partnership with business, charities
• Government
• Policy maker, planner, regulator and provider

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Poverty Alleviation Strategy

• Many helping hands approach
• Co-funding
• Fund raising from corporate sector, public
• Emphasis is always on regaining financial
  independence and preventive (so that the next
  generation do not fall into the trap of poverty)

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Poverty Alleviation Strategy

• Financial Assistance Schemes
• Government schemes, administered by CDCs
• Public Assistance Scheme / Special Grant (for
  PRs)
• Interim (Short-term) Financial Assistance Scheme
  (IFAS)
• Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme (RUAS)
• Home Ownership Plus Education Scheme (HOPE)
• Work Assistance Programme (WAP)
• Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)
• Student Care Fee Assistance Scheme (SCFA)
• Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for
  Child Care (CFAC)

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Poverty Alleviation Strategy

• Local financial assistance schemes introduced
  by CDCs
• Disbursed by members of parliament in each ward
  within CDC
• Short term about 3 months
• Small quantum about 200 pm
• In-kind assistance e.g. food vouchers

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Poverty Alleviation Strategy

• Employment, re-employment
• Skills Development Fund
• Skills Redevelopment Programme
• Training allowance
• Absentee payroll support
• Self-employment Assistance Scheme

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Role of NGOs

• NGOs, particularly the voluntary welfare
  organisations (VWOs), play a very important role
  in the provision and delivery of social services
  in Singapore
• Religion-based community welfare service
  organisations e.g. Presbyterian, Methodist,
  Buddhist, Moral Society, etc
• Clan or ethnic based
• Clan associations long history in Singapore
• Ethnic self-help groups e.g. Mendaki, SINDA, CDAC

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Role of NGOs

• Others e.g. Rotary Club, Lions Club, etc
• Philanthropic organisations and foundations
  funding e.g. Singapore Pools, Lee Foundation,
  Shaw Foundation, etc.
• Important to note
• NGOs help all those who seek help from them,
  regardless of race, language, religion or gender

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End