Community self-help groups have stepped up assistance schemes as the number of people seeking help grows amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Singapore Indian Development Association (Sinda) has announced a $1.8 million package, which should benefit at least 3,000 families and students.
Sinda president Indranee Rajah, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said yesterday that the new package would supplement the existing $2 million earmarked by Sinda for financial assistance this year.
"The schemes in the package are designed to ease immediate financial hardship and meet specific needs on the ground. We want to reassure vulnerable families and individuals that they can have peace of mind, with the knowledge that the community is here for them."
The package includes a one-time $300 cash payout for about 1,600 families, as well as a three-tranche payout for about 400 families facing more challenging circumstances. They will receive payouts of between $300 and $600 depending on household size.
Applications begin this month and funds will be disbursed from later this month or early next month to December. About 1,000 families known to other Indian community organisations will also be able to receive a one-time $300 cash assistance. All three schemes are for households with per capita income of up to $1,000.
The package also sets aside funds to enhance two existing Sinda schemes - student bursaries and interim financial assistance, of which the latter is given out on a case-by-case basis.
About 1,000 primary, secondary and tertiary students, who are current or new Sinda bursary recipients, will get an additional $50 top-up for eight months from this month to December.
Second-year Institute of Technical Education (ITE) student Lakshana Rajendran, 17, is a recipient of the post-secondary bursary. "The extra money will help with my school expenses and lessen my parents' financial worries," she said.
Yayasan Mendaki, which caters to the Malay-Muslim community, said yesterday that out of about 2,600 applications for its tertiary tuition fee subsidy scheme, 124 were re-applications for a higher subsidy tier due to a change in household income amid the outbreak.
Mendaki's chief executive Zuraidah Abdullah said it has also received more than 800 applications for the ITE interim allowance scheme, which is for Malay or Muslim ITE students who have lost their part-time jobs or if their families suffered income loss due to the circuit breaker measures.
Mendaki has allocated $1.9 million to support these initiatives so far, said deputy chairman Zaqy Mohamad, who is also Minister of State for Manpower and National Development.
Another network of Malay-Muslim community groups, SGTeguhBersatu (Malay for SG Resilient in Unity) task force, yesterday also announced assistance plans for the community which include providing virtual counselling to Covid-19 patients and families.
The Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) disclosed yesterday that it had received about 150 applications so far for its one-time assistance payout for those retrenched. CDAC had also reopened its 2020 bursary applications and received more than 300 applications.
The Eurasian Association said it had more than 140 applicants for its various education grants and more than 65 for its family support services during this period.
