A couple of days ago, we met a family of elderly siblings living in abject poverty.
Long story short, they all have medical issues, cannot work and have no means.
The oldest, aged 73 was in a wheelchair. The other brother walked with a shuffle and did not look well. The sister had a mastectomy, survived cancer and is still on medication.
Their financial predicament is so dire they have been living in their flat without power or water supply for a considerable length of time. The overpowering stench from the flat bore testimony to their plight.
This family have been so overwhelmed by their day-to-day struggles they have not been able to think about what they could do to alleviate their hardship.
We immediately offered to fetch the sister to the nearest Social Service Office (SSO) to explore her and her brothers’ eligibility for public assistance.
The sister gladly accepted our offer as she did not know where to go or what to do for help; nor had she even the cash to pay for the transport to get to SSO.
As promised, we appeared at their doorstep the very next day and took the sister to the SSO at Geylang Serai. We sat with her while she made her way through the application process. When the process was over, we brought her back to her home.
The Case Officer said it would take 4 to 6 weeks before the outcome of her application is known. We hope that her application will be successful. She and her family really need all the help they can get.
Source: Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss å¼ åª›å®¹