This is another piece of news from Channel NewsAsia, dated August 14 2008.

More residents going to CDCs for temporary financial help

SINGAPORE: More elderly are seeking help from the Community Development Councils or CDCs to cope with rising costs, said the Mayors who head these local government councils.

Mayor of Central CDC, Zainudin Nordin, said about 1,000 residents seek help every month. In the first half of this year, the CDC handled about 6,200 cases, some 300 more than the same period last year.

The number of residents asking for food rations in North West CDC, one of five such councils in Singapore, has also increased.

Mayor of North West CDC, Teo Ho Pin, said: "In December 2007, we had 170 cases of needy residents asking for food rations. That number has gone up to 520 in July."

Some three in 10 residents who attend the meet—the—people sessions in MP Denise Phua’s area, want financial assistance and help to get jobs.

Juliana Baba, a Kampong Glam resident, said: "They help me a lot especially food wise. I have three small kids. ... when I was down... and tight (with money) without my husband, this helped me a lot."

MP for Jalan Besar GRC, Denise Phua, said: "We are doing it together with many helping hands to distribute bread and so forth. And we hope to fill any cracks and be able to help any family that is not to be left behind."

Over at North East CDC, it is working with shipping company Neptune Orient Lines to launch a S$50,000 fund to help students from 10 primary schools and 12 secondary schools pay for their meals.

Meanwhile, at South East CDC, about 1,000 residents seek assistance every quarter.

Mayor of South East CDC, Matthias Yao, said: "The problem that they face is increasing household expenditure because of inflation, oil price hikes, commodity and food prices."

Apart from food bills, Mayors said those who seek help are likely to be needing long—term assistance — like the elderly, or those who are out of work.

Mr Zainudin Nordin, said: "People in the past could be more stable and could afford to pay for their mortgages. But they are now facing difficulty because they are caught in the structural and long—term unemployment."

While the CDCs have several schemes to help those who need assistance, at the end of the day the importance of being self sufficient is also emphasised. So for those who do not have a job, the first thing the CDC does is to help them find a job.