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Visiting two of our rough sleeper friends at Bras Basah was an eye-opening experience.

My first takeaway is the importance of community needs analyses. Sometimes, what we think will unquestionably be appreciated by our clients may not actually help them. We brought fruits for the uncles, but failed to preempt and realise that many of them are diabetics and hence cannot eat fruits. Rather, simpler, more accessible options such as bread water masks and hand sanitisers would be more than enough to make our rough sleepers’ day.

On the theme of community needs analysis, my second takeaway is that sometimes the best “help” we can render as volunteers is really just our company and sincere listening ears. Some of our rough sleepers may not have any eventful activities throughout the day, and would look forward to the visit by homeless hearts volunteers at night.

My third takeaway is that each one of our rough sleeper friends has a story to tell, and it’s a story we can learn a lot from as long as we pause to listen. Our volunteer coordinator shared that one of the two rough sleepers we visited in fact used to be from a high educational background, but made mistakes along the way and had since been homeless for over 30 years. Another rough sleeper (whom we did not visit) simply refused any help from volunteers, but would still greet and wave to them - we were told that he was a highly prideful individual.

Although their situations are difficult in our eyes, it’s more important to have a befriending heart rather than a sympathetic heart. Many of our rough sleepers actually make a conscious choice to maintain this way of life, and I guess as volunteers the best thing we can do is to continue treating them with dignity, listen to their stories, and refer them to appropriate help channels wherever possible.

Overall, it was a memorable and insightful night that helped me better understand the homeless in Singapore, a city where home ownership is so high. The next step would be to critically reflect about what else we can do to help these friends, be it from a volunteering or policy standpoint :)

- Xianli

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Yesterday’s night trail exposed the underbelly of Singapore - the uncles we met slept in areas hidden underneath MRT tracks and within the foliage. What struck me is how their living quarters reflected their resourcefulness and sense of community, where many had constructed shelters made of materials like floor boards.  It was also surprising that the uncles were still so friendly and willing to talk to us despite the long day. I noticed that most conversations were focused on checking in on the uncles’ lives, such as their HDB applications, welfare support applications and medical conditions. While it was really heartwarming to see the regular volunteers patiently helping them with such matters, I wondered about all the other rough sleepers who lacked the same chance to engage the help of these volunteers. This translates to the question of what policy gaps can be filled, such that volunteer organisations are not the only first line of support these uncles have.
- valene

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Reflections at Chinatown (a tale of 2 cities)

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Reflections at Chinatown (a tale of 2 cities)

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I think the most striking part of meeting the uncles was how we had a conversation with skyscrapers at the backdrop. The Singapore we usually see is glamorous,  but how much focus do we give to the fringes of society?

One thing I took away strongly was to correct my misconception that rough sleeping is a sign of vulnerability. I think it was very important that we came in with an attitude to not to "save" them, but to understand them. The uncles we met, were extremely strong-willed and opinionated. They had an outlook to life that if you struggle in life, you either accept it or make active changes to it. Listening to their stories was a surreal moment for us. It was like flipping an invisibility cloak to the other Singapore Story. It was eye-opening and I was extremely grateful to be able to meet them.

Alastair

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It was a very eye-opening experience hearing directly from the rough sleepers at Bras Basah. We met two uncles who shared their difficulties and struggles in various areas such as healthcare, food and finances, which showed some gaps that public officers and SSOs could address in future, by coming up with new solutions or policies. As it was my first time interacting with rough sleepers, it was interesting hearing their stories and experiences. This experience showed me how important it is for public servants to constantly be on the ground to understand the public’s needs so that well-rounded policies can be created.

I have also gained a newfound respect for the befrienders at Homeless Hearts as they have certainly done well in engaging the rough sleepers and working with SSOs and MSF to provide the best support to them. The rough sleepers were very willing to share and did not require much questions and prompts from our side, which showed that they really valued meeting and talking to different people. It was heartwarming seeing the befrienders providing food and water to these sleepers during each visit, and seeing the good rapport between the befrienders and rough sleepers.

All in all, I am glad I had the opportunity to hear directly from the rough sleepers and explore a hidden area of society in Singapore. This trail has showed me the significance of serving my community and the potential impact my projects and service work could have on our homeless friends. :)

- Ming Hui

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Interacting with the uncles at Chinatown was honestly quite different from what I imagined it to be. They were a lot friendlier than I expected and conversing with them turned out to be quite natural, with them carrying much of the conversation. As mentioned by the presenter at Transit Point, they indeed came from quite a varied background and the reason they were rough sleepers were not necessarily financial, with other circumstances such as family difficulties sometimes being the main reason. It was interesting to see the community they had with one another and how the interacted, like making song requests to be played on the speaker, similar to what we would do with our friends. The challenges they faced were quite varied as well, from immigration challenges to unwillingness to seek medical help. I admired the patience and openness the volunteers had in speaking with the uncles, especially when they could be at times more stubborn, as well as the genuine effort they made in getting to know them on a personal level.

Daniel Chee

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It was an eye opening experience to talk to the homeless friends at Harbourfront. Firstly I witnessed how some bureaucratic and technological requirements of applying for a flat/HDB loan pose challenges for homeless friends applying to move to a more permanent lodging, if a volunteer or social service officer is not on hand to help. I was really inspired by the initiative and know-how which the volunteer youth (our age) showed while helping an uncle around this process.
Secondly I was able to better understand why homelessness seemed like the best course of action, from one homeless friend’s perspective. His personality, attitude towards friends, personal protection order and other considerations all came together in such a way that homelessness trumped other options. In turn, this helped me realise that what is optimal is construed differently by each individual. Thus across the board it is hard to say there can be one best option for lodging those down and out. -Clarissa

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Going into the night trail, my expectations were that the rough sleepers that we would be talking to might be reluctant to open up and talk to us, or that there might be language or cultural barriers.

But to my surprise for those that we interacted with at Bras Basah, they were very open and willing to engage with us. This shows the efforts that previous volunteers have already put in to connect with these seniors, making them feel comfortable sharing with us.

I also gained insight into some of the shortfalls of policy in addressing the needs of these rough sleepers. In both instances, while various agencies and social workers try to help better their situation, they end up causing more confusion by redirecting them to a myriad of agencies. It might be better of each of them had their own social worker who could help them navigate through the landscape of social welfare policies and their manage their medical needs, but alas there is not enough manpower or resources. We can only do our best by trying to first understand, before trying to help to our best ability.

- Tony

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Speaking with the uncles at Chinatown was a surprisingly relaxed experience. Most of them were quite cheerful and willing to chat about whatever came to mind at that moment, which made the conversation flow a little easier. I was quite surprised by the variety of backgrounds even amongst the few people we met, from being unable to return home in Malaysia to having an overcrowded house due to hoarding problems.

Hannah

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I am very grateful for the experience to interact with a few homeless friends in Chinatown today. The uncle I interacted with shared about his daily routine with us, and I was relieved to hear that he was able to visit the library and temple daily to obtain his meals and keep himself abreast of the latest news. This changed my perception of our homeless friends, and made me realise that they were very friendly and willing to share with us about their life stories. I also learnt a lot about homelessness and the concrete problems that they face, including health. It is important for us to play our part by maintaining contact with them and ensuring that they receive the support and assistance they require.

- Jiecong

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I expected the general mood to be quite down, but the uncles were surprisingly upbeat about life. They have music, dance, chess, and for some of them, work to look forward to. For many, this is just a temporary circumstance, and they have relations and goals in life to hang on to. So it’s all the more meaningful that there’s people here to befriend those uncles that don’t and look out for them.

Xinpeng