The homeless deserve better treatment

As someone who works with like-minded individuals to help and raise awareness of the homeless in Singapore, I am heartened by last Sunday’s article, ‘Number of homeless people doubles’, which gave the issue a much-needed public airing.

Among several shortcomings is the treatment of the homeless by some agencies which purport to help them.

For instance, some of the homeless people tell us they are treated rudely by National Parks Board (NParks) officials.

Also, a pregnant mother of two told us that when she went to the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to seek help, she was advised to rent a room at a backpackers’ hotel for $20 per night.

One of us managed to find her a place at a homeless shelter.

We also learnt that two families who were taken to and stayed overnight at the Angsana Home, a home for the destitute mentioned in another article (‘Govt help turned his life around’), were not informed of the involuntary confinement there.

Even though two of the family members had jobs, they were not allowed to report for work the next day.

It is also relevant to consider whether the Angsana Home, with its high fences and heavy police presence, and which has inmates who may be prone to violent behaviour, is a good place to house people who, apart from a lack of shelter, can care for themselves.

Also, why were HDB flats suddenly leased out as shelters to the homeless, when the authorities must have known about their increasing numbers for a long time?

And if there is a reasonable explanation for the shortage of shelters, why are NParks officials chasing the homeless away from the beaches, knowing full well they have nowhere else to go?

Another article, ‘Strict housing policies, illness and divorce leave some stuck’, suggests that the homeless are irresponsible and cannot plan for their future, by stating that they do not save for crises like unemployment or illness.

In fact, some of the homeless people spend their entire income on the bare necessities, so it would be impossible to have enough money to service a housing loan.

Finally, if the financial crisis is not to be blamed for the increase in the number of homeless people, is it possible that there are many people who cannot afford public housing any more?

Joshua Chiang

Source: Sunday Times, 7 Feb 2010