FAMILY OF NINE SETS UP HOME AT EAST
COAST PARK
They won't accept help even when...
Child nearly drowns
Told they can remain together
January 18, 2008
THIS family of nine chose to live on East Coast beach instead of
accepting help from aid agencies.
The family at East Coast Park last week. Picture: CHOO CHWEE
HUA
Their reason: They didn't want to split up and stay in different
places.
Even when they were told they could stay together, they chose to
wait for a rental flat.
Eventually, the authorities asked them to leave the beach and they
went to live with relatives.
And not a moment too soon, as life outdoors was getting to be a bit
too much for the four children, aged 1 to 4.
One child almost drowned, another had a bad bout of flu and the
children had to be watched constantly as they would put sand in
their mouths, said family members.
SOLD FLAT
The family's predicament began when they sold their three-room
Commonwealth Crescent HDB flat in May last year, after running into
financial difficulties.
Said Madam Govinda, 40, the sole breadwinner of the family: 'We
could not afford to pay the instalments of $450 anymore and our
debts to the HDB were increasing.
'We had nearly $18,000 to pay in interest alone.'
Her family - unemployed husband, two sons aged 19 and 17, daughter,
20, and four grandchildren - make do on the $1,200 a month that she
earns as a security guard.
They claimed they did not get anything from selling their flat, as
there was no money left after repaying HDB.
The family decided to apply to HDB for a rental flat.
Those who sell HDB flats are not allowed to apply for HDB rental
flats for 30 months, to ensure that they do not compete with
low-income families who do not own flats and have more urgent
rental housing needs.
However, the HDB exercises flexibility on a case-by-case
basis.
In this case and in view of the family's circumstances, it waived
the 30-month rule.
The family applied for a two-room rental flat in June last year and
was placed in a queue.
Madam Govinda said: 'We were hoping to get a flat on rent soon and
were seeking shelter till we got it.'
She said the family first stayed with her husband's mother.
'But it was only a one-room flat and, with nine of us, it was
getting very crowded.'
On 4 Jan, the family set up home under a shelter in East Coast
Park.
Madam Govinda's son told The New Paper that they chose the area
because it was close to his mother's workplace.
Said Madam Govinda: 'I feel bad for the kids. They are so young and
have to face such bad conditions.
'One of them nearly drowned when he ran out towards the water by
himself, without (us) noticing.
'I don't know what would have happened if we had not seen him
intime,' she said.
Her daughter, Sri Vickneshwari, said: 'The children would run
about, pick up things lying on the beach and try putting sand into
their mouth if no one was watching over them.'
The youngest of her three children, a year-old baby, has been down
with the flu after being in the open all the time.
A gunny sack on the ground, a tent borrowed from friends, packets
of food on the stone bench, a few toys thrown around and everything
covered with sand - that was home for about a week.
Madam Govinda continued going to work every morning while Sri
stayed back to look after the rest of the family.
On 8 Jan, a park ranger advised themto contact the Ministry of
Community Development, Youth andSports (MCYS).
They called the ComCare hotline.
MCYS officials met them the same day and offered to house them
temporarily in welfare homes and to make special care arrangements
for the young childre, but the family declined the help.
When asked about this, Madam Govinda said: 'We did not want to (be)
separated from the kids because they are very young and need the
family.'
Her husband, Mr Ruvy Varimuthu, 47, has been mostly unemployed for
the past seven years.
She said that her 19-year-old son is serving a three-week sentence
for assaulting his wife, who has since left him, taking two of
their three children.
One of his children continues to stay with the family.
Her 17-year-old son was discharged from school for disciplinary
problems and is waiting to do his NS.
None of her children has completed secondary school.
On Saturday, the family was asked to vacate the shelter and live
elsewhere.
HELP OFFERED
MCYS again offered a temporary residence to house the entire
family.
But they again declined.
They have now moved into Madam Govinda's sister's three-bedroom
flat in Choa Chu Kang.
Mr Varimuthu is temporarily staying in the void deck of a block
close to his mother's flat in Outram.
He does not stay with Madam Govinda's sister because of personal
problems between them.
MCYS is following up with the family on other areas they may need
help in.
Madam Govinda is thankful to MCYS and HDB for the help they have
provided, but feels that getting a rental flat can solve their
problems.
'At least we will have our own residence and can start sending the
children to school,' she said.
An HDB spokesman said the board will inform Madam Govinda as soon
as it is her turn to select a rental flat.
Megha Gupta, newsroom intern
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Call for help
Need help? Call ComCare at 1800 222 0000
Launched by the Government last week, it is a one-stop helpline to
guide callers to the appropriate agency for assistance.
Service is available around the clock and the line has operators
fluent in the four main languages and Chinese dialects.
In its two-month testing period, 30 per cent of the calls made to
the hotline dealt with the homeless and destitute.
