Young Voices (left) Jonathan Chan is a writer and editor. He is the author of the poetry collection going home (Landmark, 2022). He serves as a worship leader in the Main and Korean-English services of Covenant Community Methodist Church (CCMC) and as Director of the CCMC Gospel Choir. He previously interned at HealthServe and Tamar Village and volunteered at the Open Home Network and Cambridge Cyrenians. More of his writing can be found at jonbcy.wordpress.com.
(right) Tan Jing Min is a public servant and writer. She worships at Wesley Methodist Church. She has served with the Covid Migrant Support Coalition and Prison Fellowship Singapore. Her writings can be found on thir.st, ETHOS Institute and Rice Media.
Hospitality as justice Addressing homelessness in Singapore "People don't become homeless because they run out of cash ... they become homeless because they run out of relationships."
Source: Shutterstock
Abraham Yeo, Co-Founder, Homeless Hearts of Singapore
I
n the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public
years or more for a third of respondents.
Policy's (LKYSPP) inaugural street count
Their relative obscurity has relegated
of homeless people in Singapore in 2019,
Singapore's homeless population to the
it revealed between 921 and 1,050 street
periphery of public attention, especially
homeless across the island. They were
given the pride Singapore takes in its
observed to reside primarily in larger
housing policy and home ownership levels.
1
and older housing estates and estates with more rental flats. Most were older,
The LKYSPP outlines three types of
single Singaporean Chinese men of low
homelessness: primary or absolute
education, with homelessness commonly
homelessness, i.e. those who do not have
attributed to economic, family and health
accommodation and sleep in public spaces;
problems. Chronic homelessness lasts six
secondary homelessness, i.e. those who
10 Methodist Message August 2023