Some 300 low-income families in Hong Kah North whose finances have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic will receive monthly vouchers worth $50 for the next three months that they can use to purchase supplies and services such as haircuts.
The community programme was launched yesterday by non-profit women's social activism group LadiesFirst and the Hong Kah North Community Development and Welfare Fund committee, with each contributing $25,000.
A total of 17 shops in Hong Kah North are participating in the programme. These range from provision shops and coffee shops to hairdressing salons and hardware stores.
The vouchers are delivered to the doorsteps of families, along with small hampers of necessities by LadiesFirst members and grassroots volunteers.
The programme promotes a "circular economy" in Hong Kah North, said LadiesFirst chairman Melissa Tan.
"Giving the vouchers to low-income families in Hong Kah North not only supports them during this difficult Covid-19 period, but also the shops in the estate which are facing lean times," she added.
Senior Minister of State for Health and the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor noted that there is already a similar scheme in place which helps low-income residents in Hong Kah North on a longer-term basis.
"We are gradually opening up after the circuit breaker. But there are still businesses which are not fully operational, and workers (who may have taken) pay cuts or lost their jobs," said Dr Khor, who is the MP for Hong Kah North and advises the constituency's grassroots organisations. "So we are looking to help them during this period, and that's why we came up with the idea of giving out vouchers over three months."
On Tuesday, Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee said the Government will start to proactively reach out to 50,000 low-income families living in rental flats around Singapore this month, with the help of partners such as charities and grassroots groups.
The SG Cares Community Network will, among other things, send out SMSes with information about the help available to families living in rental flats.
Past government initiatives include the Temporary Relief Fund, which gave a one-off payout of $500 in April to around 450,000 people who lost their jobs or a substantial portion of their personal income because of Covid-19.
