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A man in his 40s cried as he shared his difficulties in paying his wife’s hospital bills when his work at the airport was suspended.
A single mother of three children struggled to put food on the table because she was unemployed.
Ms. Cheng Shing Meng, 49, constituency director at Fengshan Community Center, has heard hundreds of heartbreaking stories daily as she handles requests from the Temporary Aid Fund (TRF), which close today.
His team of 17 People Association staff worked up to 16 hours each day and resolved up to 300 appeals each during the first two weeks.
All to ensure that those in need receive the financial aid they were looking for: a one-time payment of $ 500 for those whose jobs were affected by Covid-19.
Ms. Cheng said, “I prefer to talk to them to get a real idea of what they are facing rather than just looking at the forms.
“Covid-19 has affected people and we are seeing how profoundly it is affecting our community and how so many people are being overlooked.”
Some elderly applicants were unable to state who their employers were. His team helped contact their employers to obtain proof of employment for applications.
She said several applicants were rejected as they were not eligible.
One was a man who insisted on submitting an application even though his family’s income was well above $ 18,000 a month, $ 8,000 more than the eligibility limit.
Another was a woman who claimed to be a tutor but refused to provide documentary evidence of her employment, such as student contact details or publicity material.
Ms. Cheng said, “I hope those people realize that they are taking away the resources that others need to put food on the table and pay urgent bills.”
Social and Family Development Minister Desmond Lee said on Facebook on April 7 that a small number of people were taking advantage of the schemes.
He wrote: “You are doing this at the expense of many Singaporeans who are in a real crisis and need this help.”
As of April 17, 300,000 TRF applications had been received since the applications were opened on April 1.
Hawker Low Teck Kuang, 62, did his part to help people with TRF appeals by working with Fengshan CC to open booths in Bedok to help the 100 street vendors under his supervision.
Many struggled with language, technology, and had liquidity problems.
The Bedok North Market and Food Center, where they work, was closed from February to April for renovations.
And street vendors have to dig deep into their savings as the shutdown was extended until June due to the circuit breaker.
Low, who has been operating a fishball noodle shop there since 1979, said: “We prepare for just two months of closing, but now we will be out of work for almost four months.”
“I have been working closely with these street vendors for many years and felt a responsibility to help them.”
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