COMCARE FUND (Usage and programmes)

Column No : 1788

COMCARE FUND:

(Usage and programmes): 6.

Dr Tan Sze Wee asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports if he will provide an update on the ComCare Fund for needy Singaporeans, and in particular (i) whether the fund has been used to address the needs of unemployed Singaporeans; (ii) whether the introduction of new programmes has been effective in addressing these needs; and (iii) whether any public education programmes have been introduced to raise awareness of the ComCare Fund to segments of the public who may be marginalised and are in need of assistance.

The Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon) (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Mr Speaker, Sir,

the Prime Minister launched ComCare on 28th June this year to help provide a safety net for Singaporeans faced with hardship, and to ensure that no one is left behind.

From July to September 2005, the firstthree months of the operation of the ComCare Fund, ComCare had disbursed $8.7 million for nationwide social assistance programmes administered by MCYS and the Community Development Councils (CDCs). About 13,700 low-income households were helped by these programmes.

ComCare had also set aside $4 million to give the Citizens' Consultative Committees (CCCs) more flexibility in meeting the needs of their residents. As at end September, the CCC ComCare Fund (CCF) had disbursed $663,600 to help about 5,400 distinct needy persons.

In addition, ComCare had pledged additional resources to empower the community to do more for the needy in their midst. Since its launch, ComCare has received 30 proposals for funding under the ComCare Enterprise Fund and the ComCare Social Support Projects Fund. Of these, five proposals have been approved for funding, and the rest are still under evaluation.

Helping the unemployed

Helpingthe unemployed is a key focus for the ComCare Fund. Under the ComCare Self-Reliance pillar, the Work Assistance Programme (WAP) is targeted at helping unemployed Singaporeans find employment and become self-sufficient. Families under WAP receive job-matching assistance as well as financial assistance to help them with their basic living needs. Between Julyand September 2005, about 1,900 families were helped under WAP. 40% of these are likely to find employment withinsix months. 60% of those who find employment are likely to be retained in their jobs.

To help the unemployed return to work, ComCare also provides assistance for childcare, kindergarten and student-care expenses under the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC), Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KIFAS), and Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA).

Through the ComCare Enterprise Fund, we have also facilitated the creation of social enterprises, which are sustainable businesses with a social cause. Many of these social enterprises provide jobs for needy Singaporeans. From July to September 2005, about 100 people have been placed in social enterprise jobs through ComCare.

ComCare will continue to focus on ensuring sufficient help for needy Singaporeans. It will complement Workfare by providing the necessary supportive assistance so that needy Singaporeans can go to work.

Public education

Mr Speaker, Sir,we do not believe that it is necessary to spend money to advertise ComCare. Instead, it is more effective to work with the community. The community knows best who the truly needy residents are.

The People's Association and the CDCs have been organising briefings to update grassroots leaders on social assistance schemes and the different channels for assistance. More than 20 sub-sessions have been conducted since July this year.More sessions will be held over the next few months so that all our grassroots leaders involved in community assistance will know how to help those in needwho may approach them.

For the needy, all they need to know is to approach their CDC

or Citizens' Consultative Committee or Family Service Centres, if they need help. They do not need to know which scheme to apply for. These agencies will coordinate with one another, and help the needy person using the appropriate schemes and programmes that are available.

Dr Tan Sze Wee (Nominated Member): Justa point of clarification. From the CDC itself,I understand that about $663,000 has been disbursed to 500,400 people, which worked out to be $122 per person. To the low income who earn less than $1,000 a month, this is quite substantial. But fortheir daily needs, is this sufficient for them to cope until the tide turns against them? The second matter I would like to clarify is, for the social enterprise, what sort of programmes is the CDC assisting. Is it by providing seed capital so that the social enterprise can be started off?I bring this up becauseI have a friend who is actually unemployed. He has been approaching the CDC for eight months. They basically try to tell him to retrain, but he cannot get any job until the company that wants to employ him sends him for training and he has no money to start up an enterprise. That is onefeedback I have received,and I would like some clarification.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: The Minister of State,Ministry of Manpower,mentioned just now that under ComCare, thereare three pillars. They areComCare Self-Reliance, ComCare Growth and ComCare EnAble. Sopeople go for help under the MCYS' traditional schemes, eg, public assistance, utilities, etc, as well asMOM's WAP schemeto help them getjobs.These schemes, more or less,help support them so that they canget jobs. But the $4 million that I mentioned about is for the CCCs,from which we have so far spent more than $600,000. Thisis on top of what we have done so farfor those Government schemes. It is a flexible scheme for the CCCs to decide. This scheme is normallyfor one-off payments. For example, they may need something for the children or they are trying to get a job but need a bus card and so on. This is one-off. Therefore, it is about $120. This is not a long-term welfare scheme.

As for social enterprises, I am sure hon. Members would know that MCYS has been promoting them since last year. We have about $3 million per year to promote them. Normally, what we do is that we give them seed money, capital grants, to start the business. The cap is about $300,000. Asto Dr Tan's question aboutthe individual going to the CDC and not being able to get anything, I haveheard from Mr Lim Swee Say that they have converted some jobs, such as those at the hawker centres. Whereas70% of the jobs were previously done by foreigners or illegal workers,80% of them are now done by Singaporeans. Therefore, if they really want to do something as a start, they should first try to get a job that maybe pays $1,000, andthey canupgrade themselves after that to get their own job. Social enterprise is more an informalor secondary economy sector. It is more complicated.