Singapore provides more help for low-income families
Low-income families in Singapore will be given financial incentives as part of the new ComLink+ scheme announced on November 20.
About 14,000 families on the Community Link scheme are eligible for these new areas of support. (Photo: straitstimes.com)It consists of four support packages in areas like pre-school education, employment, debt payment and home ownership.
Specifically, families that enroll their children in preschool by age three will be given 500 SGD (374 USD) in Child Development Account (CDA) top-ups funded by a donor.
They can get an additional 200 SGD per quarter if they ensure that their children attend school regularly.
A second package aims to help adults in ComLink+ families build financial stability by encouraging them to stay in Central Provident Fund (CPF)-paying jobs that pay at least 1,400 SGD a month.
Those who do so will get 450 SGD to 550 SGD in cash and CPF payouts every quarter.
Higher top-ups will be given when two adults in the household work, but the top-ups are limited to a maximum of two working adults.
ComLink+ families will also get help to save up for a home. A progress package jointly funded by a donor and the government will match 2 SGD for every 1 SGD families contribute voluntarily to their CPF.
One package helps families to clear their debt, such as for utility and housing arrears. This debt clearance package will match dollar for dollar up to 2,500 SGD in sums repaid by the family, so the total debt cleared would be up to 5,000 SGD.
About 14,000 families on the Community Link (ComLink) scheme are eligible for these new areas of support, which will be rolled out from the second half of 2024./.
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