Who says there are no homeless people in Singapore? It’s a harsh reality that we often don’t hear about. On Monday (1 Feb), the Social and Family Development Ministry (MSF) revealed that were are more than 900 “displaced” people in Singapore between 2013 and 2015. In other words, there are more than 900 homeless people in Singapore. Some are waiting for an HDB rental flat and have no place to stay. Others may be estranged from families. East Coast Park is a temporary home for many of them, according to local media. The homeless also lay cardboards as makeshift beds on shop fronts, in the streets. Reporting on homeless people in the past This is a far cry from comments made in 2001, when the dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Kishore Mahbubani said: “There are no homeless, destitute, or starving people in Singapore. Poverty has been eradicated, not through an entitlements program (there are virtually none) but through a unique partnership between the government, corporate citizens, self-help groups and voluntary initiatives.” In 2010, news media Al Jazeera English caused a stir and was taken off from MIO TV’s programming after screening this documentary on homeless Singaporeans. Minister Vivian […]
8 years ago
