I refer to the article “The faces behind the aid figures” (Sunday Times, Feb 28).

It states that “Two months ago, the Government for the first time released detailed figures on the breakdown of citizens who received financial aid from the state.

ComCare gave $116m to 91,093 people

In the financial year ending March 2015, 91,093 Singaporeans – or about 2.7 per cent of the citizen population – received $116 million in some form of social assistance.

This was a sharp jump from the 54,041 who received $61 million in aid in 2010.”

$106 assistance per beneficiary?

Does this mean that the average assistance per beneficiary was only about $106 monthly ($116 million divided by 91,093 beneficiaries divided by 12 months)?

The stories of six families in poverty 

“INCOME AND FAMILY PROFILE

• NAME: Md Ridzwan Azmi AGE: 18 FAMILY: Lives in a one-room rental flat in Marsiling with his grandparents, three siblings, an uncle and a cousin. His parents, who are both in jail for drug offences, have another one-room rental flat in the same Housing Board block, where he and his brother Md Rizan Azmi, 24, go at night to sleep.JOB: Full-time Institute of Technical Education student FORMS OF ASSISTANCE: Monthly ComCare short- to medium-term assistance scheme allowance of $1,400 for Mr Md Ridzwan and two younger sisters aged nine and 15.HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $1,400.

  PER CAPITA INCOME: $467

  EXPENDITURE: Food, transport and school expenses

• He also works part-time.”Wedding decorator, waiter, operating rides at Uncle Ringo’s funfair, I have done all that before,” Mr Md Ridzwan says. “What I earn, I give half to my grandmother.”He had to stop work this year after starting on an internship.
• The elderly couple also supports their son, Mr Kamal Ahmad, 53, who has a mental disability.Mr Md Ridzwan says: “I cried when I found out my grandfather was ill. He is my role model because he worked hard to look after the family. He puts everyone else first.”
• $175 ComCare monthly assistance per person?
• Since there are eight persons in the household – does it mean that the ComCare assistance works out to $175 monthly per person ($1,400 divided by 8)?
• “INCOME AND FAMILY PROFILE NAME: Vengatalakshmi Velusamy AGE: 34 FAMILY: Lives with husband Betthi Raj, 34; son Balakrisha, five; and daughter Lineysha, two; in a one-room rental flat in Marsiling. Her husband and son are Indian nationals. Balakrisha was born in India, while Lineysha was born in Singapore.JOB: Security guardFORMS OF ASSISTANCE: Monthly ComCare short- to medium-term assistance scheme allowance of $850 when Ms Vengatalakshmi attends a healthcare attendant course.

  HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $1,600

  PER CAPITA INCOME: $400

  EXPENDITURE: $1,600 on food, transport and visa applications

• The Social Service Office and Community Development Council found her a spot on a healthcare attendant course and she has been receiving a monthly allowance of $850 for six months, which expires next month.She has put her security guard job on hold while she attends the full-time course, working only during the weekends or during breaks between modules.
• Ms Vengatalakshmi plans to juggle between being a security guard and a healthcare attendant, with one job during the day and the other at night.”I will do it even if it means seeing my family for one hour each day,” she adds, her eyes welling up with tears. “I am prepared to work hard.”
• $212 ComCare monthly assistance per person?
• • Since there are four persons in the household – does it mean that the ComCare assistance works out to $212.50 monthly per person ($850 divided by 4)?
  • “INCOME AND FAMILY PROFILE NAME: Ong Leong Hock AGE: 49 FAMILY: Lives in a three-room flat in Hougang with his wife, three young daughters and his parents.JOB: Cooked food stall assistantHEALTH: Family healthy except for his 80-year-old father who has lung and heart problems, diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

    FORMS OF ASSISTANCE: Children on Ministry of Education Financial Assistance Scheme

    HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $1,300

    PER CAPITA INCOME: $260 (excluding his parents who dig into their savings to help support themselves)

    EXPENDITURE: $800 on food, household expenses

  • Yet he brings in only $1,300 a month, barely enough to provide for all seven family members. So his 73-year-old mother, until recently, has been working as a cleaner to supplement the household income.Last week, she quit her $1,000 a month cleaning job to help care for her husband, 80, who has lung and heart problems, diabetes and other chronic medical conditions.
  • He has not applied for the ComCare financial assistance scheme as he has not heard of it. “My English is not good and I don’t have any computer so I don’t know what all those are,” he says. However, his three daughters are on the Ministry of Education Financial Assistance Scheme that covers textbooks, school attire and transport expenses.”
  • • • $0 ComCare monthly assistance per person?

      Since there are seven persons in the household – does it mean that the ComCare assistance effectively works out to $0 monthly per person (other than the “Ministry of Education Financial Assistance Scheme that covers textbooks, school attire and transport expenses”) – because “He has not applied for the ComCare financial assistance scheme as he has not heard of it”?

    • “INCOME AND FAMILY PROFILE NAME: Leck Wee Nee AGE: 52 FAMILY: Wife Geraldine Chen, 42, and six children, living in a two-room Housing Board rental flat in Clementi. The six children are: Risis, 21, working as part-time packer and attending night classes; Jun Jie, 18, ITE student; Jun Hao, 12, Secondary 1 student; Jun Long, 11, Primary 6 pupil; Jun Wei, 10, Primary 5 pupil and Jun Hui, seven, Primary 1 pupil. Eldest daughter Vivian, 22, has married and moved out of the family home to another rental flat in the same block. She is not working.JOB: Unable to work because of illness.FORMS OF ASSISTANCE: Monthly ComCare short- to medium-term assistance scheme allowance of $1,200.

      HEALTH: Poor health. Suffers from heart problems and breathlessness.

      HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $1,200

      PER CAPITA INCOME: $150

      EXPENDITURE: $600 on food, the rest on transport and utilities.

    • Without a regular income, the family fell behind on mortgage payments. The HDB repossessed the flat (3-room HDB) and allocated the two-room rental flat to them in 2011.
    • Mr Leck says the family’s finances worry him. He shows The Sunday Times two bank books – a POSB one with a balance of just 66 cents as at December and an OCBC one with a zero balance as at last month. The ComCare payment is made to the OCBC account.”The (ComCare) money comes in at the start of the month and runs out around the 20-something of the month,” says Mr Leck.The family spends about $20 on food each day, or $600 a month, out of the $1,200 they get from ComCare. About $160 goes to utility and service and conservancy charges, $165 to rent, and the rest to the children’s education.Madam Chen lost three of her four front teeth two years ago because of decay, but she cannot afford dentures. “That’s why I don’t smile,” she says apologetically.
    • Still, she feels depressed when she sees her husband and four sons having to sleep on mattresses in the living room. She shares the bedroom with her seven-year-old daughter and the 21-year-old son, who sleeps on the floor.
    • • • $150 ComCare monthly assistance per person?

        Since there are eight persons in the household – does it mean that the ComCare assistance works out to $150 monthly per person ($1,200 divided by 8)?

      • “INCOME AND FAMILY PROFILE NAME: Sasha (not her real name )AGE: In her 40s FAMILY: Lives in a two-room rental flat in Woodlands with one son, aged 15, and two daughters, 14 and seven. Her husband is in jail for drug offences and she has an estranged son, 21, who is living separately with her mother.JOB: Administrative assistantHEALTH: Family all healthy

        FORMS OF ASSISTANCE:

        • ComCare covers rental, utilities and service and conservancy charges for six months

        • Weekly tuition for the youngest child provided by Touch Community Services

        HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $1,200

        PER CAPITA INCOME: $300

        EXPENDITURE: $1,500 on food, cellphone bills, transport expenses and debts

      • It is 9pm on a Monday and Sasha (not her real name) has not only skipped dinner, but breakfast and lunch as well.”I haven’t eaten all day because there is no money for food towards the end of the month,” says Sasha, who is in her 40s and a single mother of four children.
      • “Usually, I just drink water and let the children have instant noodle or $2 packets of food,” she adds, breaking into a hacking cough.
      • For three months last year from September, the family received $1,000 a month from the ComCare short-term assistance scheme. Though those payouts have ended, they are on another form of ComCare help now. All rent, utility and service and conservancy charges are being covered but that ends this month.”My neighbours have asked me to go together and renew the ComCare application but I have no leave to take and if I take time off, my pay will be cut,” says Sasha.
      • $250 ComCare monthly assistance per person for 3 months only?
      • • Since there are four persons in the household – does it mean that the ComCare assistance works out to $250 monthly per person ($1,000 divided by 4) – but only for three months?
        • “INCOME AND FAMILY PROFILE NAME: Lee Pang Kiab AGE: 78 FAMILY: Living alone in a one-room rental flat in Redhill. His wife has died and he is estranged from his three sons who are in their 40s.JOB: Part-time karung guni manHEALTH: Left eye blind, right eye 20 per cent vision. On medication for epilepsy.

          FORMS OF ASSISTANCE:

          • Monthly ComCare long-term assistance scheme allowance of $450 since 2007

          • Daily meals’ delivery

          • Weekly housekeeping

          • Physiotherapy, medical consultations and recreational activities at nearby daycare centre

          HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $550

          PER CAPITA INCOME: $550

          EXPENDITURE: $550 on cigarettes, beer and food

        • His karung guni runs give him up to $100 to supplement the $450 he gets monthly under the ComCare assistance scheme.”
        • How many people in poverty getting enough help?

“But questions remain: Do these folk constitute what passes for “poverty” in affluent Singapore? Might there be others like them who need help but have not received it?

Singapore has no official national definition of poverty, unlike some countries such as the United States which have poverty thresholds based on household income and size.””

Leong Sze Hian