The South West Community Development Council (CDC) launched its ComCare Local Network (CLN) on Friday, 2 February 2007. The three key objectives of CLN are to 1) facilitate and strengthen communication channels amongst all social service agencies in the district; 2) provide assistance to the more vulnerable strata of the society so that they can receive seamless and comprehensive help; and 3) streamline the information and referral process so that no needy resident will fall through the cracks.

In tandem with the launch, the South West CDC rolled out various new local ComCare initiatives to benefit different segments of the community such as the needy senior citizens and children from low-income families.

COMCARE LOCAL NETWORK INITIATIVES:

1. E-SERVICE MAP and E-FORUM @ SOUTH WEST

The South West CDC has put together two unique communication tools, an E-Service Map and E-Forum @ South West, to bridge the information and communication gaps between public and social service agencies, as well as among the social service agencies. With the E-Service Map @ South West, the public will be able to tell at a glance the various types of social service providers in the South West District, their location, opening hours and contact information. This information will also help social service agencies to effectively function as a ‘first contact’ agency when needy residents approach them directly for assistance.

The E-Forum @ South West is a new communication platform for social service agencies to follow up on critical issues on a daily basis. This online E-Forum will complement the quarterly networking sessions which are aimed at discussing developmental issues and brainstorming ideas to plug the service gaps. Social service agencies could also use the E-Forum to share best practices and/or call for inter-agency collaborations.

2. MEALS SERVICE @ SOUTH WEST

With South West CLN, the services across various social agencies are streamlined and resources are pooled together to ensure the optimisation of available resources in the district. The Meals Service @ South West programme effectively reduces the duplication of services among the social service providers by leveraging and strengthening the existing cooperation among the current five meals providers in the South West district to ensure meals service is available at every corner of the district and is affordable to needy residents in the South West District.

One example is Mdm Zainab, a Boon Lay resident. Mdm Zainab is wheelchair-bound and suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. When her husband passed away last year from a heart attack, Mdm Zainab was left to fend for herself and her 12-year-old daughter. Her immediate concern was their daily meals, which Mdm Zainab had difficulty leaving her house. Mdm Zainab is one of the 68 residents today to have meals delivered daily to her home.

Meals Service @ South West aims to reach out to 50,000 needy residents.

3. 3-IN-1 HOME PROGRAMME @ SOUTH WEST

3-in-1 HOME Programme is an initiative where the CDC streamlines the district’s home help service among three social service agencies, namely ITE College West, Toa Payoh and Geylang Senior Citizens’ Health Care Ltd and Habitat for Humanity Singapore, to provide a more holistic support for people with disabilities and/or are immobile, including the elderly who face physical barriers and obstacles in their own homes.

This programme brings together free home-based health care services where nurses and doctors will provide a comprehensive health assessment to wound care, physiotherapy, counselling and medication; free SAFE Home services where ITE students help make homes safer by installing bathroom grab and other home safety devices; as well as home cleaning services to remove excessive pile-up, improve the home’s sanitation and bug-infested furniture, storage and painting. This 3-in-1 programme will be piloted at Telok Blangah division, and subsequently rolled out to other divisions with high elderly population and high number of rental and/or 1-2 room flats.

Below are some details of the three home help services:

i. HEALTHCARE ON THE MOVE (H.O.M.E.) @ SOUTH WEST

The H.O.M.E. @ South West programme, i.e. Healthcare On the MovE, provides free home-based healthcare services to the needy elderly and families residing in one to three-room HDB flats. This initiative capitalises on a neighbourhood self-help concept where concerned neighbours, residents and Resident Committee (RC) members help to identify residents in need and activate the neighbourhood nurse and/or doctor to provide preventive or maintenance healthcare services to them. The services range from a comprehensive health assessment to wound care, physiotherapy, counselling and medication.

ii. SAFE HOME PLUS @ SOUTH WEST

The South West CDC has been working very closely with the ITE Collages on the Safe Home Plus @ South West. The programme aims to create safe home environment for senior citizens, re-visit earlier batches of residents to examine the items installed previously and replace them if necessary, three new items – light-duty fire extinguisher, wireless door bell and first aid kit, will be installed during the re-visiting and to raise the level of public awareness on the need to conserve water through installation of water-saving devices in their homes. In 2007, Safe Home Plus benefited more than 1,300 households with senior citizens.

In July 2007, Safe Home Plus @ South West expanded its scope to include corporate philanthropy. Philips Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd donated more than 17,000 energy-saving light bulbs for needy households to replace their incandescent light bulbs. AKIRA International Pte Ltd was also roped in to provide 500 sets of elder-friendly household electrical household appliances such electric stove, electric kettle, rice cooker, cordless phone and radio, worth more than $120,000 for the needy households. One of the beneficiaries, Mr Bong Kee, 74, who lives alone in a rental flat, was very grateful to receive the donation. He said that he will be using the rice cooker to cook meals for himself, which is a simple pleasure that he has not enjoyed for years since he did not own any rice cooker.

iii. HOME SANITATION PROGRAMME FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

The “Cleaning up Programme For Senior Citizens” is a collaboration between South West CDC and Habitat for Humanity Singapore to provide elderly with safe, clean and healthy home, including the removal of unwanted pile-ups so as to reduce fire hazard to the elders and the neighbours, provision of storage spaces such as cupboards, repairing of toilet system to improve sanitation, changing of beds infested with bed bugs and painting of gates and doors.

4. KIDS-UP PROGRAMME @ SOUTH WEST

Kids-Up Programme is an enhanced initiative, supported by the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) and National Library Board (NLB), which encompasses Kids-Up Grant @ South West and KidsRead Club @ South West. The programme reaches out to children aged between 4 and 5, by providing them with a start-up grant to defray their school expenses, as well as reading programme to improving their literacy by cultivating good reading habits. Over 400 needy children have benefited from Kids-Up Programme @ South West.

i. KIDS-UP GRANT @ SOUTH WEST

Kids-Up Grant @ South West is developed to augment the existing national Start-Up Grant for kindergarten-schooling on the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS). This local scheme will benefit students who are on KiFAS but do not meet the criteria under the national Start-Up Grant. Under this local programme, students will be assisted with a one-time start-up grant of $100 to defray part of the upfront expenses such as uniforms, shoes, books, supplementary fees for worksheets, insurance fees, transport and any other expenses related to the kindergarten education. About 230 needy students have enjoyed the start up grant.

ii. KIDSREAD CLUB @ SOUTH WEST

KidsRead Club @ South West is aimed at assisting parents of low-income families in the South West District in the cultivation of good reading habits in their young children. It provides a learning platform for needy families to improve their children literacy and love of reading through an integrated reading programme. Parents from low-income families will benefit from it by observing how trained volunteers coach their children in cultivating their reading interest. Some 200 children have benefited from the reading programme.

5. PROJECT GAPc (GIVING AWAY PERSONAL COMPUTERS) @ SOUTH WEST

Project GAPc @ South West is a pilot programme that aims to assist needy families bridge Information Technology (IT) digital gap by helping them own a Personal Computer at an affordable price and equipping them with basic IT competency to enhance job skills capability. The objectives of the programme are to equip parents with basic IT knowledge to assist their children in their schoolwork and to enhance their employability, as well as to improve communication within the family through shared learning experience. Some 150 needy families have benefited from Project GAPc @ South West.

6. EYEWEAR @ SOUTH WEST

Eyewear @ South West is an extension of a similar programme in 2006, to provide spectacles for needy school-going children in the South West District. In 2007, Eyewear @ South West is extended to include needy senior citizens. The targeted beneficiaries will receive free eye screening and one-time prescription of spectacles. Some 144 students and senior citizens have benefited from Eyewear @ South West since the launch.

7. POWER UP @ SOUTH WEST

Power Up @ South West is an immediate assistance scheme for needy residents, where Power Up vouchers are given out to those who are facing mounting utilities arrears and are facing disconnection of utilities. Each voucher is valued at $10. These vouchers, together with the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYU) meters, seek to offer residents some respite as well as encourage them to monitor their utilities consumption. In 2007, Power Up @ South West benefited 158 needy residents.
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