More people seeking financial aid from CDCs

More needy people are applying for ComCare funds, with a 14 per cent increase in applications from 2010 to last year.

The five community development councils (CDCs) received 69,600 applications for help last year, up from 60,900 in 2010.

The increase was due to more people becoming eligible for the schemes, as well as greater awareness of available help, the CDCs said in a statement on Monday.

Slower economic growth may also have resulted in more applications in the final quarter of last year, said South West District Mayor Amy Khor.

READY TO HELP

'We are ready to step up our assistance efforts should there be more residents needing help due to an economic slowdown.'
Dr Amy Khor, Mayor of South West District

Govt's ComCare funding likely to match that of 2008's recession

Although the impending economic slowdown is unlikely to be as serious as the previous global financial crisis in 2008, the government is prepared to set aside the same amount of ComCare funds this year, said Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Madam Halimah Yacob after a visit to North East Community Development Council (CDC) on Thursday. The ComCare budget for 2008 was $63.7 million.

During her visit to the CDC, she was briefed on its operations and how it assists needy residents via its community-based programmes.

Adding that the funding amount 'will always be subjected to review if that is not sufficient', Madam Halimah also emphasised that 'the most important thing for us is that it is not just the ComCare schemes in terms of financial assistance, but schemes in terms of providing support for residents who are affected to get back on their feet and the most important thing is getting them a job'.


The CDC has reported a spike in the number of financial assistance cases that it saw last year, with close to 50 per cent increase in the number of applications for financial assistance for the last quarter of last year compared to the previous quarter.