Wednesday, Feb 25, 2015
THE STRAITS TIMES
TOP OF THE NEWS
Published on Feb 24, 2015 2:40 AM
Mr Chan Sze Oon, who lives alone in a spartan one-room rental flat in Chinatown, says the $450 he now receives each month is "just about enough", but with the payouts under the Silver Support Scheme from next year, he will be able to afford more than just the basic necessities. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Mr Chan Sze Oon, 84
Retiree, receives $450 a month under Public Assistance
How he benefits
From next year, he will get quarterly payouts of between $300 and $750 under the permanent Silver Support Scheme for poor Singaporeans aged 65 and older.
This year, he will also get a one-time payout of up to $900 in GST Vouchers.
How other needy elderly people benefit
The bottom 20 per cent will get a bigger sum, with a smaller degree of support extended to seniors up to the bottom 30 per cent.
THE Silver Support Scheme will help lift a big burden off the shoulders of retirees like
Mr Chan Sze Oon, who lives alone in a spartan one-room rental flat in Chinatown.
The 84-year-old bachelor now gets by on $450 each month, which he receives from the Ministry of Social and Family Development ComCare Public Assistance Scheme.
Mr Chan worked as a tailor and did other odd jobs until he stopped 30 years ago.
Speaking to The Straits Times in Mandarin yesterday, he said he has hardly any savings in his bank and Central Provident Fund accounts.
The Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society delivers two meals to him daily, and his medical bills are waived as he is a public assistance recipient, he added.
Mr Chan suffers from diabetes and hypertension, among other illnesses. A wheelchair and an oxygen concentrator from a bout of tuberculosis some months ago sit in a corner of his flat.
By exercising prudence, he said the sum he receives each month is "just about enough".
He pays for necessities such as washing powder, milk and biscuits. He also spends money on haircuts, forks out $52 a month for the rent of his flat and about $10 a month each for his mobile phone and utilities bills.
The mobile phone was a gift from his niece so that he can be contacted easily.
He does not receive any monthly allowance from his extended family. So news that he will get up to another $750 every three months, or $250 a month, under the Silver Support Scheme from next year, was received with delight.
He said with a smile: "With more money, I can buy more tonics for my health without worrying so much about whether I have enough to sustain myself through the month."
WALTER SIM
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