1. The story of John
At the mere age of 28, John (not his real name) was left to live on the streets of Singapore, all by himself.
“It is very difficult to sleep on the streets, since it is usually very cold at night but I have no choice,” in series of slurs and mutters, John remarks about his current situation.
Since about one month ago, John has been sleeping around the back alley of a coffee shop, making a living by collecting cardboards and earning around $20 a day. He eats only one meal a day, supplied by the kind-hearted fishball noodles stall owner working in the same coffee shop. John is of a scrawny physique and looks pale, probably due to malnutrition. He usually takes his showers at the washroom located at a nearby park.
Due to a birth defect, John has difficulty expressing himself most of the time. Those who interact with him can hardly make out the little bit of English and Hokkien he mutters. With the stench that he carries with him (he has been wearing the same set of clothing ever since he was left homeless), he gets looks of disdain from almost everyone who crosses his path.
To those who pass by John’s “home”, he is frequently judged to be an unwanted child. His putrid stench and repelling appearance turns people off. John’s predicaments are unknown to the people who see him sleeping on the streets.
He used to attend a special needs institution until the age of 24, when he was expelled. A police report was filed against John for an alleged rape of his fellow classmate.
Though the alleged victim eventually dropped the charges, John was disowned by his family and left on the streets to fend for himself following the incident. His family was too ashamed of him.
He went to a halfway house, but he ran off after two years. Staying on the streets is better than staying in a halfway house for him it seems.
"I feel very sad,” says John, who has nothing left aside from the clothes he is wearing now.
2. The story of Sam
An act of negligence in a business deal landed Sam (not his real name) into a life of hardship. He was forced to sell off practically all his possessions as a result of his business failure. Left with a backpack and the set of clothes he was wearing, Sam returned to Singapore, since he would be considered an over stayer without an approved visa and employment.
Sam’s nightmare was just beginning. Upon his return to Singapore, he had to look for a job. However, he had to first meet his basic needs for survival.
Firstly, Sam had to find food. He approached a welfare organisation for assistance but all they could do is provide Sam with addresses of places where he could obtain free food. As he had no means of transportation, he had to travel long distances on foot to get the food he so desperately needed.
To take care of his personal hygiene, Sam uses the public handicapped toilets but he has to use it discreetly.
"I might be barred from using the toilets to shower if someone finds me messing up the place. I needed to locate the locations of different toilets in order to use them on a rotational basis. It took me 6 months to learn how to survive on the streets."
Till this day, Sam has been without a home for five years, while living on hand to mouth. His search for a job with decent working conditions was not easy either and his quest for proper accommodation is nothing short of arduous.
Initially, Sam settled for the night in a hostel. However, due to his constant job-hopping, Sam’s salary was inconsistent. He couldn't keep up with the rental charges and thus decided to move out to stay in public spaces where rent will not be a problem. Subsequently, other roofless individuals, including a number of foreigners, also joined him in making the area their "home".
"Residents will stare at me with disgust; some will even criticize me. Occasionally, the police will patrol around the area and ask for my IC. They screen my IC and when they find out that I do not have a record, they will just walk away and ask me to take care."
Life as a homeless is never easy for anyone, especially for Sam, who is advanced in age. As a result of the lack of proper nutrition, Sam, who is already into his late adulthood, faces a rapidly deteriorating health. Furthermore, the need to stay alert during the night to protect his belongings while keeping a look out for the police, has made Sam haggard and deprived of proper rest.
"I made a big mistake and I lost everything, so I have to start all over again. I know it is not going to be an easy journey for me but I will put all the difficulties aside, and try to find the solution to move forward. The road in front of me will no doubt be immensely tough, but I am slowly moving forward right now. The homeless are after all human so please give us a little thought. Don’t disregard or delete us from this world," says the tenacious Sam, ever so determined to regain his footing back in life.
3. The story of Ben
"People judge me. Why does this person not have a home? But whatever they say, just let them say. I have to find a place to sleep and I have difficulties finding friends, except the fellow homeless like me, whom I’m unsure whether I can trust."
Ben (not his real name), 69, happens to be one of the many homeless individuals who make the public spaces of Singapore their home. They are unable to attain proper shelter due to various reasons - for Ben, it is simply because he can't afford it.
This has been the plight of Ben since 4 months ago, when he was forced to sleep on the streets after being unemployed for a long time, leaving him cashless to pay for his rental fees. He sleeps on a piece of cardboard at an open space in a carpark, with another homeless elderly.
Due to a skin problem, his relatives refuse to take him in to their homes. Ben has severe rashes all over his ears and neck and as a result, his skin is often red and covered in bumps. The sight can be off-putting for some. He also experiences difficulty obtaining employment due to his skin problem.
Ben has never received treatment for his skin condition. To protect his skin from the sun’s rays and to keep it away from the eyes of onlookers, he usually wears long sleeve shirts and long pants.
Ben lost contact with all of his relatives and friends; he hasn’t seen them for over 20 years. What he seeks for the most now is acceptance and love, which he has been deprived of ever since he acquired the skin problem.
The only acceptance he gets these days are from people who are in the same situation as him but even then, he is not entirely open to trusting them. During the interview, he also mentioned that it is difficult for him to befriend the public. This is because he has this notion that only "homeless and homeless can be friends".
4. The story of Tom
Since 8 months ago, Tom (not his real name) has been living on the streets of Singapore. Due to irreconcilable differences and constant relationship disputes at home, Tom and his wife decided to file for divorce. He left their marital home thereafter. He is unable to get a home of his own as he does not meet the application criteria for a HDB flat. Even though he no longer stays with his ex-wife and daughter, he still sends money to them regularly.
Tom is currently employed as an air-con maintenance and servicing handyman. His employer previously offered him a place to stay in the workshop he is employed at, but he rejected the offer as he felt uncomfortable staying there with the other employees. Living on the streets means that Tom has to use a nearby public toilet to wash up daily. Thankfully his employment has enabled him to afford his meals.
Of course, living as a homeless individual has its hazards. Not only does he have to endure the sun and rain, he has to live with the constant noise coming from the people who hang around the stairways where he sleeps at. Only till the early hours of the morning will the noise die down.
Tom also lives with the constant fear of having his possessions stolen. Though he knows the other homeless relatively well, he is cautious about trusting them. Thus, he keeps all of his belongings in his backpack and uses it as a 'pillow'; keeping it close to him throughout the night.
"There are many people like me sleeping around here, but I cannot call them family. My only family for now are the volunteers from that organisation, who would visit me weekly and pray for me."
5. The story of Mary and her family
A misunderstanding with her mother forced Mary (not her real name), her husband and their toddler to move out of her familial home. Currently, they are staying at a pavilion by the beach, where their belongings can be seen occupying the entire space. It has been four months and they are still patiently waiting for their flat application to be approved.
Similar to many other homeless individuals, Mary faces the gruelling challenges of sleeping in public and not having a permanent shelter to call home. Due to certain restrictions and laws imposed by the authorities on sleeping in public areas, she is not allowed to pitch a tent without a valid license, hence leaving her family vulnerable to weather changes. To date, Mary has been fined by the authorities on more than one occasion. According to her, she has incurred around $1.5K worth of fines, for setting up tents without a valid license.
Another pressing issue for Mary is the safety of her family; sleeping near the beach invites mosquitos, thus endangering them to the risk of dengue.
In addition, during the weekends, her shelter for the night becomes a shared space with members of the public, leaving her and her family with no sense of privacy.
Currently, Mary is taking things in her stride. She is working at a local fast food chain to support her family financially. While she is working, her husband is left to care for the children. As such, the family can only live on a single income for survival.
“If given a choice, we wouldn’t want to be here. We also want to have a family and a house to return to. Please do not despise us.” Mary, as with any other homeless, desires to be treated with dignity.
6. The story of Alex
7. The story of Edward
After his employer ran away 6 months ago, Alex was left in the lurch. With his only source of income in jeopardy, he was unable to pay his rent and as a result, he became homeless. Currently, Alex remains unemployed despite his many attempts to secure a job.
Due to the inaccessibility of public toilets nearby, he has to resort to urinating in plastic bottles. Multiple bottles of urine could be found around his sleeping space.
When he approached a welfare organisation for help, he was turned away without being provided with any form of assistance. "I've lost faith in them and I wouldn't want to seek help from them anymore," he said in a very disappointing tone.
Alex tried bunking in with his “pals”, but very soon, he was chased away due to reasons that were not disclosed. He slept in public spaces and at void decks for a couple of days.
While he was sleeping at a void deck, Alex’s only possession - his backpack, was stolen. Along with it, his wallet containing his personal identification card was taken as well, thus denying him of any chances in gaining employment.
“Without any IC, employers all thought I was an illegal immigrant." He could hardly find employment and it left him in a dire situation.
Nevertheless, some employers were more sympathetic; they offered him work, paying him around $20 a day. However, this amount was apparently insufficient. Sometimes, he could only afford 1 meal a day, leaving him hungry most of the time. Alex showers infrequently as he is unable to find free shower facilities nearby. Most were too inaccessible for him.
“People would discriminate me because I have no place to stay.”
At the age of fifteen, Edward (not his real name) has been living on the streets. He copes by begging and asking for food from the public for survival.
“I was addicted to gambling and borrowed money from the loan sharks, which brought my home a lot of trouble. My dad had no choice but to chase me out of the house.”
Edward snivels as he recalls the reason why he is homeless for the past 30 years.
After living on the streets for so long, Edward has become “comfortable” with being homeless. The only way he can get his sustenance for survival is by begging on the streets and around temples. Being a homeless, Edward has to live with the increased vulnerability to falling ill due to the environment; poor and unhygienic living conditions and no proper shelter against the unpredictable weather patterns. When he falls ill, he merely consumes panadol to get well. Edward fears the possibility of contracting dengue the most as he is sure that he would not be able to afford the hospitalization bills.
“Being homeless requires one to be self-sufficient,” Edward admits. He believes that one has to be able to live independently and find ways to be self-reliant in order to survive living on the streets.
Ever since he got addicted to gambling, Edward’s quality of life decreased. Coupled with the shoddy environment he is forced to live in, Edward has lost almost all of his dignity as a man by resorting to begging on the streets, in order to survive and obtain his basic necessities.
8. The story of Ronnie
“Survival on the streets is very tough. Public, please understand and please help.”
Ronnie (not his real name), has been living on the streets for nearly 7 years. He is an ex-convict who has been charged and incarcerated on more than one occasion for rioting, fighting and drug related offences.
Ronnie is also an alcoholic. He started drinking at the tender age of 15 and to date, his drinking habit has escalated into alcoholism.
When Ronnie and his first wife filed for divorce after he was caught having an extramarital affair, he lost the ownership of the flat and the custody of his daughter to his ex-wife. Despite not having a place to live, Ronnie decided to marry his mistress. With no shelter to call home, they survived by staying in a tent at the beach. According to Ronnie, they lived merely on bread and luncheon meat for days on end.
Through connections, the couple was able to obtain employment as cleaners. Fortunately, Ronnie had an understanding employer who offered them accommodations as well. It was a one-room HDB flat and the rental fee for the first month was paid for by his employer.
For the subsequent months, the rent for the flat was deducted from their salary.
When the couple's second child was born, Ronnie and his family moved to his mother-in-law’s place due to reasons that were not disclosed. However, they moved again soon after because Ronnie and his mother-in-law could not resolve their differences.
They managed to rent a temporary shelter from New Hope for 6 months. Things took a turn for the worse when the lease was up. With no place to stay and nowhere else to obtain assistance, his wife decided to leave him for good. She moved back to her mother’s place along with their two sons while Ronnie was left to fend for himself. Without any emotional or social support from his own family, he resorted to drinking alcohol to cope with the situation.
And ever since then, he never stopped drinking.
As a result of his drinking habits, he could never retain employment for long. With no employment and no proper shelter to stay in, he now makes the streets his home.
9. The story of Peter
After the death of his mother, Peter (not his real name) started engaging in criminal activities. At the age of 14, he had officially become an active member of a gang. Incarceration then became a common occurrence in his life.
“Go in, come out. Go in, come out. Go in, come out. Go in, come out.” he described to us repeatedly. Like all other ex-convicts, finding employment became an issue for him. Companies would not hire him due to his criminal record.
With no employment, financial income and social support, it was inevitable that Peter eventually became homeless. To date, Peter has been sleeping in public spaces and living on alms given by sympathetic donors for the past 15 years. His sleeping area is always littered with trash and food waste.
“Sometimes, people will pity me and leave food at my side. Other times, I will just ignore the hunger. I have no choice.” He faces another problem too- the police.
“The police wanted to bring me to a shelter, but I refused. Life in there isn’t good. I will run away and hide from them.” Due to the criteria for the Joint Singles scheme, he is unable to obtain shelter as he has difficulties finding a partner to live with.
10. The story of Mark and Martin
Mark and Martin (not their real names) are a pair of homeless middle aged brothers who make the void deck of a block of rental flats their home.
They often get harassed by members of the public, “Sometimes people throw bleach powder at us.”
The bleach powder in turn caused a skin reaction and as a result, their skin became dry, flaky and reddish.
This harassment has been ongoing for the past 2 years and although their skin conditions have not worsened, they have not improved either.
Every day, the two brothers will get their meals from a temple that is situated quite a distance from their “home”. To save on transportation, they will get there by foot; hence, by the time they reach their destination, they are always drenched in sweat.
That’s not the only challenge they face, when things go missing in public toilets, they mentioned that they’d often get accused for it.
They are resigned to their fate, accepting that this is the only way they can live.