Uncle Has No Furniture In His Bukit Panjang Flat But Is Happy With Life Nonetheless
UPDATE (12 Nov): Ministry of Social & Family Development found that the uncle is currently receiving ComCare Long-Term Assistance for his daily expenses. You can read their full statement below.
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For many who lead relatively comfortable lives, owning amenities like furniture and a fridge is almost second nature.
However, for one man living in Bukit Panjang, his everyday realities look vastly different.
His 1-room flat does not have any furniture in it.
Image courtesy of Gilbert Goh
Despite that, the uncle appears to be contented with what he has.
Uncle lives without furniture at Bukit Panjang flat
On Friday (6 Nov), a group of volunteers were visiting a rental flat at Bukit Panjang when one particular unit caught their eye.
The uncle who lived in the unit had no furniture at all.
Image courtesy of Gilbert Goh
Instead, all his items were placed on the ground, in various storage boxes.
Image courtesy of Gilbert Goh
A Singapore flag adorned a wall in the unit, the only decoration in his barren flat.
Uncle prefers living without furniture
When volunteers asked the uncle why he did not have any furniture, he replied that he preferred it that way.
He sleeps on the floor, largely due to an allergic reaction to mattresses.
The uncle also prefers to keep things in storage boxes as it makes them easier to access. He claims that he doesn’t have many things anyway.
When volunteers handed him a red packet, he gladly accepted.
Image courtesy of Gilbert Goh
Uncle is contented with life
The uncle resides at a rental flat at Senja Road in Bukit Panjang.
Although it may be hard for many of us to imagine living without furniture, the uncle appears contented with the way he lives.
He lives alone and occasionally does odd jobs with a cleaning company.
When a volunteer visited him again over the weekend, she passed him some food and snacks.
Image courtesy of Gilbert Goh
The uncle exclaimed that he did not want any furniture donations as he simply preferred living that way.
Instead, he only accepted dried food donations.
Image courtesy of Gilbert Goh
Uncle is under ComCare Long-Term Assistance for daily expenses
According to Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), a spokesperson said the uncle is currently receiving ComCare Long-Term Assistance (LTA) for his daily expenses.
Here is their statement in full.
MSF’s Social Service Office (SSO) and ZhengHua Constituency Office have also recently reached out to the uncle to understand his current situation and assess if he requires further assistance. The uncle has reiterated to both SSO and ZhengHua CO that he does not require furniture/appliances in his flat. He has also declined CO’s offer of house refurbishment services. Our SSO colleagues will continue to work closely with our community partners to ensure his well-being.
The spokesperson added that residents call the ComCare hotline at 1800-222-0000 or approach the nearest Social Service Office, if they come across people and families who are in need of support.
Hope uncle continues living a happy & healthy life
Kudos to Mr Goh and his team of volunteers for helping the less fortunate in our society.
Speaking to MS News, Mr Goh shared that there are many other families living in rental flats that share such realities.
2020 might have been a tough year for many, but it will do us well as a nation to realise that the vulnerable ones in our society are often hit the hardest by the pandemic.
While the uncle’s happy-go-lucky attitude is commendable, we hope he receives the help he needs to lead a more comfortable life.
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Featured image courtesy of Gilbert Goh.
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