Smaller share of families returned to get temporary financial aid from scheme
The Straits Times|November 20, 2024
A smaller proportion of lower-income families received help again to tide them over their financial difficulties, within three years of them leaving a government financial aid scheme.
Theresa Tan

About 54 per cent of families on Com Care Short-To-Medium-Term Assistance (SMTA) received another tranche of cash assistance within three years of leaving the scheme in 2020.

This is a drop from a return rate of 63 per cent of families whose aid ended in 2019.

This is the first time such data has been made public in the annual Com Care statistics, which were released by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Nov 19 in its Supporting Lower-Income Households Trends Report.

Com Care is the key social safety net for lower-income families in Singapore, and the SMTA scheme gives families temporary financial aid to cover the shortfall in their in-comes to meet their basic living expenses.

A household is considered to be off the scheme when it stops getting aid for at least one month.

In 2023, fewer families received SMTA, and the total amount disbursed through the scheme also fell from $112.5 million in 2022 to $105.1 million in 2023.

The trends reflect the post-Covid-19 economic recovery, where more people are employed, coupled with the support Singaporeans get from other government schemes, said the report.

Families that returned to getting help from the SMTA scheme are more likely to have more dependants, family members who are medically unfit to work, or live in one- and two-room HDB rental flats, said the report.

The 41-page report outlined key trends in the Com Care schemes, and included data about the more than 9,000 families on the new Com Link4- scheme, which was announced in 2023.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 20, 2024 من The Straits Times.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 20, 2024 من The Straits Times.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE STRAITS TIMES مشاهدة الكل
K-pop star Psy's home temporarily seized due to penalty arrears
The Straits Times

K-pop star Psy's home temporarily seized due to penalty arrears

Singer Psy recently had his luxury home in Seoul temporarily seized by the authorities after he failed to pay an administrative penalty imposed by the district office, local media outlets reported on Nov 25.

time-read
1 min  |
November 28, 2024
BTS' Jimin and Jung Kook face off at Billboard Music Awards
The Straits Times

BTS' Jimin and Jung Kook face off at Billboard Music Awards

K-pop supergroup BTS members Jimin and Jung Kook will face off at the upcoming Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs), which will take place on Dec 12.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 28, 2024
Stefanie Sun fails to nab Taipei Arena for 2025 world tour
The Straits Times

Stefanie Sun fails to nab Taipei Arena for 2025 world tour

It has been a decade since homegrown Mandopop star Stefanie Sun last headlined her own tour, so when her upcoming world tour Aut Nihilo Sun Yanzi In Concert was announced recently, fans went into a frenzy.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 28, 2024
Society is sick': Actor Ryan Lian after netizens laugh at him for being attacked
The Straits Times

Society is sick': Actor Ryan Lian after netizens laugh at him for being attacked

Local actor Ryan Lian has hit back at netizens who were unkind to him after learning that he was injured in a recent knife attack.

time-read
1 min  |
November 28, 2024
The Straits Times

Binge-worthy K-variety series is a celebration of tenacity and sisterhood

Iron Girls follows the trials and triumphs of four award-winning South Korean actresses who signed up for the toughest roles of their lives – participants of the 2024 World Triathlon Cup in Tongyeong.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 28, 2024
Problemista's whimsy is wearying, Blitz a conventional WWII drama
The Straits Times

Problemista's whimsy is wearying, Blitz a conventional WWII drama

Alejandro (Julio Torres) from El Salvador is an aspiring toy designer in New York City. With time running out on his American work visa, he becomes personal assistant to an erratic art critic (Tilda Swinton) as his only hope for a sponsored residency.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 28, 2024
Moana 2 charts familiar waters, but stays buoyant
The Straits Times

Moana 2 charts familiar waters, but stays buoyant

Disney's second voyage with Moana dives deeper into Pacific culture

time-read
2 mins  |
November 28, 2024
Shrek director tackles animation taboo in Netflix fairy tale Spellbound
The Straits Times

Shrek director tackles animation taboo in Netflix fairy tale Spellbound

Animated films tackling parent separation and divorce are few and far between.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 28, 2024
New head hopes to offer alternative to 'junk food'
The Straits Times

New head hopes to offer alternative to 'junk food'

General manager of SGIFF Jeremy Chua courts young viewers and social media

time-read
4 mins  |
November 28, 2024
Music kings take back their crowns
The Straits Times

Music kings take back their crowns

Must-see MV: G-Dragon – 2024 Mama performance medley

time-read
2 mins  |
November 28, 2024