SINGAPORE - People with disabilities will soon be able to get community support and employment closer to their homes, thanks to two new hubs set to open in 2023.

The Enabling Services Hub (ESH), to be launched by SG Enable in collaboration with disability agency SPD by mid-2023, will be located in Tampines West Community Club, with a satellite site in Bedok.

The hub will offer a place for those with disabilities to engage in social activities and take up courses to learn new skills.

An Enabling Business Hub (EBH) will also be launched in Jurong West in the second half of 2023, to bring jobs closer to where people with disabilities live.

The two hubs were announced by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua in Parliament on Friday during the debate on his ministry’s budget.

Among other announcements by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) were higher salaries in the social service sector, and that 1,400 more spots will be created in new early intervention centres in the next two years to cater to children with higher developmental needs. Their families will also pay less from July, when fee caps are introduced.

Mr Chua said the ESH aims to foster inclusion by organising activities for residents both with and without disabilities to come together, while also providing caregivers respite by providing drop-in care services.

As for the EBH, it seeks to rally employers to take on people with disabilities through job coaching and by showcasing inclusive hiring practices, Mr Chua said in reply to MPs such as Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong GRC), Ms Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio GRC) and Ms Rachel Ong (West Coast GRC). They had asked about how support and training for people with disabilities are being stepped up.

Noting that many such people can and want to be gainfully employed with dignity, and not just for charity, Mr Chua said: “Beyond the benefit to the individual person with disabilities, companies with inclusive hiring practices find stronger empathy among co-workers and a more cohesive workforce.”

MSF said Tampines was chosen for the ESH, as it has one of the highest numbers of adults with disabilities in the east, while Jurong West was selected for the EBH, as the region is estimated to have one of the largest numbers of unemployed people with disabilities who would benefit from customised work support.

Alongside other initiatives, the EBH will contribute to the Government’s aspirational target employment rate for people with disabilities of 40 per cent by 2030, up from 31 per cent today.

Senior manager of ESH and SPD Zunaidah Shahul Hamid said the ESH hopes to offer activities like art and craft, fitness and wellness, and music. Enrichment courses such as digital skills and culinary skills are also being explored, she told The Straits Times.

The hub will also ramp up efforts to reach out to those with disabilities in the community who are not currently served by any social services, through a dedicated outreach group.

Ms Zunaidah said the team has been engaging the community in Tampines and Bedok to identify people with disabilities and their caregivers who may benefit from the hub.

The hub is also working closely with SG Enable and special education schools to ensure that those from graduating cohorts who are not enrolled in any disability services, or are currently on wait lists, are referred to the ESH.

Through door-to-door engagements, volunteers from the hub will organise home visits for interested participants to better understand the kind of support they need.

The hub provides another option for families who wish to keep their loved ones with disabilities close to home, while staying engaged with the wider community, she said. Prior to this, options available to adults with disabilities include day activity centres, sheltered workshops and supported employment.

“We hope to offer an alternative care and support option for people with disabilities and their families in the community,” she said.

Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli also shared in Parliament on Friday that those in the social service sector will get a 4 per cent to 15 per cent pay increase as part of new salary guidelines. The updated salaries will take effect on April 1.

He said that an integral part of efforts to strengthen families and uplift those in need are partners like social service agencies. Hence, 2023 has been dedicated as the Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners to spotlight their work.

The National Council of Social Service will also strengthen the volunteer management capabilities of social service agencies to better attract, engage and retain volunteers.

Mr Masagos also announced that the Families for Life @ Community (FFL@Community) initiative, which aims to build strong and resilient families, will be expanded beyond the current two towns of Choa Chu Kang and Yishun to nine towns by end-2023, and islandwide by 2025.

In addition to its current marriage and parenting programmes, FFL@Community will also offer marriage mentoring and set up parent peer support groups.

The marriage and parenting programmes are expected to benefit 4,000 couples and 20,000 parents annually by 2025, an increase from 1,300 couples and 10,000 parents currently.