SINGAPORE'S five Community Development Councils (CDCs) are coming together to work out a separate recession relief package to help residents ride out the economic downturn.
Acting as an extra safety net, it will complement existing national schemes such as the ComCare Fund and the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme, and others to be unveiled in next year's Budget.
While the details have yet to be finalised, the plan could see needy residents provided with food and transport vouchers, among other things, officials said.
Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District, said the idea to pool funds and work together on a recession relief package was mooted during the mayors' monthly meetings.
'We were discussing ways we can help relieve the financial burden of the poor during the downturn. They are just preliminary ideas and these are early days. I believe we will have a better picture of the extent of the recession after January; then we can plan it better,' he said.
One component of the relief package is to provide one-off transport and food vouchers to workers who have been retrenched. Dr Amy Khor, Mayor of South West District, said about $250,000 will be set aside for the vouchers.
On average, each CDC receives between 400 and 950 applications for financial help a month.
In cases where low-income families need immediate assistance, CDCs would provide help 'over and above the national ComCare schemes', said Dr Teo.
Dr Khor said her CDC is planning to give out a maximum of $100 in food and transport vouchers per household, depending on the family's circumstances.
'The CDC will be flexible in dispensing this as long as the applicant can provide supporting documents,' she added.
Meanwhile, some CDCs are seeing the money in their ComCare accounts dwindle. While $6.25 million is available under the scheme for the current financial year, two of the country's 84 constituencies, Chinatown and Boon Lay, have sought top-ups to the fund.
Boon Lay ward has already used up three-quarters of its ComCare Fund allocation. And MP Ho Geok Choo said the number of residents seeking help at Meet-the-People Sessions had risen to 80 from 60 in the last three months or so.
'Many of the low-income families are clueless about what is an economic crisis. We need to help them understand it and manage their funds better,' she said.
Madam Ho suggested ComCare Fund should perhaps be given out based on the percentage of low-income people living in the wards, instead of the current system which sees the money divided equally among all 84 constituencies.
To this, a Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports spokesman said: 'When funds are found to be running low, divisions can request a top-up from their respective CDCs.'
Meanwhile, national programmes for the needy are also getting extra funding.
Last Sunday, Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said there would be additional financial help for lower-income families, which are likely to be the hardest hit by this recession.
He said the Jan 22 Budget is likely to enhance existing community-based assistance schemes.
These include childcare centre subsidies for low-income families, regardless of the child's birth order, and topping up Citizens Consultative Committees' ComCare Fund for the needy.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on December 4, 2008.
