More support will be given to Malay/Muslim families living in public rental flats through the expansion of Project Dian@M3.This was announced during the debate on the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s budget in March this year.

Launched in 2021, Project Dian@M3 aims to support families in public rental flats by connecting them to a range of national and community programmes for education, employment, social support, and health. Given the success of the pilot phase, the project will be expanded to engage 500 more Malay/Muslim public rental households, up from the current 250 families under the project’s care.

Beyond Project Dian@M3, a wide range of programmes and policies have been introduced to support families living in rental flats. Community and self-help groups such as Tak Takut Kids Club, Project Hills and many more, provide support to rental flat residents in various ways.

Safe to say, plenty of resources have been directed towards uplifting the lower income segment of our society. However, feedback we received during the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) closed-door roundtable discussion series on issues impacting the Malay/Muslim community revealed that conversations about helping rental flat residents seem to have typically excluded one important group of people — those living in public rental flats themselves.

A SELF-SUFFICIENT COMMUNITY?

Narratives of those living in public rental flats often portray this segment of society as one that is helpless or lacking in agency, when in fact, studies indicate that those from low income backgrounds are a resilient and capable group once given the right guidance and access to resources.

For instance, researchers from the National University of Singapore found that low-income Singaporean mothers experienced relatively stable levels of mental health despite experiencing the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. This was attributed to their resilience and coping strategies with support provided by way of financial grants from the government.

Apart from help received from government agencies and community service organisations, we received feedback that rental flat residents are themselves an important source of support for each other. Participants from  the IPS discussions suggest that help that is actually seen as significant by rental flat residents comes from each other, particularly neighbours closest to them. For example, young parents who live in rental flats place their trust in their neighbours to care for their children when they are away. In this way, rental flat residents are akin to a self-sufficient community.

The prevalence of relying on social networks as a source of support among the Malay/Muslim community can be observed in other instances as well.

In a 2021 study by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) on Singaporeans’ and permanent residents’ access to resources and support during the COVID-19 circuit breaker period, it was found that Malay respondents in general were more likely than any other ethnic group to report receiving various forms of support from government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Authors of the study suggest that this was because the Malay community was more likely to draw on additional support via friends, neighbours, family and informal networks, as compared to the other ethnic groups.

After all, seeking help from their neighbours is sometimes a more convenient alternative compared to seeking help through formal means. The latter, for instance, requires that applicants fill in a lengthy application form accompanied with detailed documentary evidence.

LEARNED HELPLESSNESS

Undeniably, the provision of support stems from good intentions. However, participants of our discussion sessions have pointed out that there has been a duplication of services such as the provision of similar goods from various organisations resulting in an oversupply of the same types of groceries to rental homes. This can have the effect of lulling some rental flat residents into a sense of learned helplessness.

Studies have shown that overproviding help can sometimes have the effect of disempowering the needy. When abundant assistance is provided without one having to put in much effort to ask for it, what results is the recipients’ tendency to expect help from others. Beneficiaries also begin to feel that they are never in a position to take individual action to improve their lives due to the complexity of their situations. Eventually, they become increasingly reliant on external support and are unmotivated to take up personal initiatives to help themselves. There is also a risk that they entrench themselves in the rental flat system and their social mobility is affected in the long run.

HELPING THEM HELP THEMSELVES

This is not to say that we should stop providing Malay/Muslim families living in public rental flats the support that they need. What is more important however, is to encourage those living in rental flats to look for their own solutions and mobilise all the resources that are available.

This is where the notion of a self-sufficient community can be put into effective practice. Conventionally, most programmes and policies that aim to uplift vulnerable communities are crafted by “outsiders” assessing needs based on the perceived deficiencies of the community and directing “solutions” which they deem necessary. These external stakeholders and decision makers identify resources required by members of this segment of society and instruct them on how to utilise it.

What is proposed here is a reorientation of focus to what rental flat residents can do for themselves instead of relying on “outsiders” telling them what to do.

For example, a 2020 Institute of Policy Studies report narrated how a neighbourhood worked together to resolve a case of child abuse. Non-profit organisation Beyond Social Services alerted neighbours who then offered to care for the child until the problem was rectified. Even though the case was reported to the authorities, the neighbours’ action alleviated the need for turning the child over to protection services and risk possible extrication of the victim.

We can also turn to other examples such as the Jumaat Initiatives where a group of friends maintain an unattended shelf filled with groceries at the void deck in a low-income neighbourhood in Yishun. A sign encouraging residents to not only help themselves to what they need but to also give what they can was placed on the shelf. Al-Ihsan, an informal group comprising mainly food delivery riders, is also active in Canberra and Sembawang. The group frequently mobilise its members to provide assistance to rental block residents in the area.

These are instances where providers of assistance can support such ground-up initiatives while allowing its resident-creators the leeway to decide on the courses of action. By providing rental flat dwellers with opportunities to work together to improve themselves, residents will feel that they are empowered to personally contribute to the process of uplifting their lives instead of being mere receivers of help. Recognising and validating the strengths of these individuals will also be a way of destigmatising rental flat residents.

The abilities of individuals living in rental flats to help themselves should not be underestimated. If the assistance rendered is guided by a more specific aim of leveraging on their assets, this segment of our community can be better prepared to create a brighter future for themselves.

 

Dr Shamsuri Juhari is Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore.

Jeanne Tan is Research Assistant at the same Institute.