Launch of $2 million South West Community Caring Fund to support families and seniors amidst rising cost of living

South West Community Development Council (CDC) had launched a $2 million South West Community Caring Fund at the South West District Meeting and Partners Appreciation 2023 on 1 July 2023. Singapore core inflation stays at 5% in April 2023^[1] and this poses financial hardships for our residents. In view of the rising costs of living, CDC launches The South West Community Caring Fund, targeted to provide immediate support for vulnerable families with young children aged six or younger to defray child-raising expenditures and seniors living alone to cope with daily expenses.

2        Launched in partnership with our long-term partner Koh Kock Leong Enterprise Pte Ltd, the fund will help about 4,000 families starting this September. Each eligible household will receive support of $250 per year over a two-year period to help them defray their daily expenses and cope with the rising costs. Mr Koh Tiam Teck, Managing Director of Koh Kock Leong Enterprise Pte Ltd said, "We have always been a strong advocate of giving back to the community and we remain committed after all these years since we started our partnership in 2008. We hope that by funding these meaningful programmes, our efforts could support more residents in coping with daily expenses and alleviate some financial burden for families and seniors in the South West District.”

3        Ms Low Yen Ling, Mayor of South West District said, “We understand that many vulnerable families are feeling the strain of a higher cost of living. In such tough times, it’s often older persons and younger children who need the most support. South West CDC is doing more for these two groups of residents. The launch of the $2 mil South West Community Caring Fund is aimed to lighten the load of daily expenses for lower-income families with young children and the growing number of seniors who live alone. With the help of long-term partner Koh Kock Leong Enterprise Pte Ltd, we hope to reach out to some 4,000 households in the South West District. We intend to expand our Per Capita Household Income (PCHI) criteria for this scheme, to ensure wider access for residents who need help with their day-to-day needs. We are grateful for our partners, whose generosity and kindness have led to a 20 per cent growth of contributions received in FY2022/2023, despite the economic uncertainty. This show of support is heartening and reflects the caring and compassionate side of Singapore.”

4        In Financial Year (FY) 2022/2023, the South West CDC rolled out a total of 24 local assistance schemes and programmes, which benefitted close to 30,000 residents. More than 500 corporate and community partners were engaged, with a contribution of more than $3 million in cash and kind, a 20% increase in contributions received than the previous FY. At the South West District Meeting and Partners Appreciation 2023, 11 corporate partners will receive the South West Caring Partner Awards for their efforts in 2022 to uplift the community. The list of recipients can be found in Annex A.

^[1] According to The Straits Times ↗ (opens in new tab) with sources from Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). (https://www.straitstimes.com/business/singapore-core-inflation-stays-firm-at-5-in-april ↗ (opens in new tab))

Annex A - Recipients of South West Caring Partner Awards 2022