Sanctuaries with a helping hand for people with disabilities

Need for alternative residential models growing as nation ages and more caregivers die

Senior Correspondent A two-room flat in Ang Mo Kio has been home to Mr Neo Boon Hao, a 26-year-old with autism, since mid-2022.

The cafe assistant lives with another adult with autism in his 20s.

They are among the pioneer beneficiaries of a pilot residential living facility programme by the Autism Resource Centre (ARC), set up in 2022 with support from Autism Association (Singapore).

The pilot is one of the few initiatives here to develop additional living options for people with disabilities (PWDs) besides living with family and institutionalisation.

The need for alternative residential models is growing as Singapore ages and more caregivers die.

The flat is a sanctuary for Mr Neo to return to every day, meeting his basic needs of stability, safety and dignity, said Dr Sim Zi Lin, ARC's psychologist and programme director.

Mr Neo had been at risk of not having a roof over his head after the death of his foster mother, who had been his main caregiver.

Dr Sim said some of the beneficiaries of the residential facility had faced similar circumstances or homelessness.

"We urgently set up the programme to address the needs of several individuals on the spectrum with extenuating circumstances," she said.

The programme currently has five residents, who live in several units in the same block of flats. An on-site residential coach offers training and support.

"I like learning together with them and living independently," said Mr Neo, who lived with his foster mother in Tampines before she died. "I've learnt how to sweep and mop the floor, clean the toilet, do the laundry and the bedsheets too." He added that it is convenient for him to walk from home to his workplace, the Professor Brawn Cafe at Pathlight School. He enjoys visiting the Housing Board blocks in the estate he particularly likes exploring the lifts and doing grocery shopping with his coaches and other ARC residents.