Rebuilding broken lives: New initiative to house and support youth turned away by family

YGOS plans to launch with stage two, where the youth are housed in two units of a transitional shelter run by another social service agency, New Hope Community Services.

The space can house up to 12 young people who can stay for a maximum of two years.

At the shelter in Yio Chu Kang, YGOS and New Hope would work with the youth to help them get back on their feet and work towards a goal, such as completing their education or finding employment. 

Another charity, Born2Be, will be involved in mentoring the youth, teaching them life skills and other essential skills. The hope is also to help them reunite with their families where possible, Tan said.

The first residents will move in from September, Tan added.

YGOS is still working out the specifics of the first and third stages of its programme. The first stage involves running a set-up like the existing Safe Sound Sleeping Places (S3P), which are overnight shelters where the homeless can sleep for the night, but they have to leave in the morning.

Tan said the aim is to first engage the youth by offering them a safe place to sleep at night, and when they are ready to turn their lives around, they can move into the transitional shelter.

The aim is not to impose too many rules or restrictions during stage one of the programme that might discourage the youth from showing up. However, beds are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning they cannot be guaranteed a space if the S3P is full for the night.

In the second stage, they are guaranteed a bed in the transitional shelter, but they must commit to a programme designed to help them gain more stability in their lives. 

The third stage focuses on providing affordable and longer-term housing for those ready to move on from the transitional shelter.

Helping middle-aged rough sleepers

Another new project under the PATH Fund is the Maps programme – or Micro employment and apprenticeship Pathways to Stability – run by the Hope Initiative Alliance.

The charity’s associate director Joyder Ng said that a sizeable group of rough sleepers are not working even though they may be able to do so. The Maps programme aims to help them re-enter the workforce, earn their own keep and spend their time meaningfully. 

“Some of the rough sleepers… have not been working for a long time, so even the idea of going back to work is a challenge,” she said. “They don’t believe they can work.”

Many are men in their 50s and older, who became homeless due to a variety of reasons, such as divorce or conflict at home, she said.

According to a survey of 128 rough sleepers commissioned by the MSF and released in January, about one in three are not in some form of employment and about three in four had been sleeping on the streets for over a year.

Nearly half of those surveyed slept on the streets despite having alternative housing options, mainly because of a breakdown in their relationships.

Ng said that job coaches will help the rough sleepers explore employment and apprenticeships they could take on, such as those in cleaning, delivery or logistics. These jobs could be on an ad-hoc or part-time basis. 

The coaches would also help them prepare for job interviews, among other things. The Hope Initiative Alliance would look for potential employers for these rough sleepers.

Other practical assistance includes a small allowance for bus or MRT fares to work and suitable working attire.

For a start, the project aims to help 20 rough sleepers, Ng said. The charity hopes to roll it out by the end of the year.