More than 500 Bukit Batok residents get timely aid

SINGAPORE — Since the Social Service Office (SSO) in Bukit Batok opened last December, it has provided 515 residents with social assistance, including financial, medical and employment help.

The SSO, the 18th across the island, was officially launched by Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin yesterday.

“It’s really about the identification of needs. The moment we can identify needs, we can link to those who can disperse out and I think the SSO can play a very important part and also coordinate among all the different people on the ground,” he said.

The opening of the SSO, which is a three-minute walk from Bukit Gombak MRT station, saves residents of Bukit Batok from having to travel to Jurong to seek help.

A majority of those in the area who are requesting for aid are staying with their parents even though they have children of their own. Many of them have trouble supporting both their parents and children, and have sought financial assistance from the SSO, said the office’s general manager Ida Iryanee.

Other problems include difficulties in finding jobs, she added.

Six more SSOs are expected to be launched by the end of the year in areas including Clementi, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Sembawang, Taman Jurong and Yishun. JORDON SIMPSON