SINGAPORE: When Edward (not his real name) first unpacked his belongings in his new room, he felt triumphant.
“I’ve won in life already,” he thought as he moved into a flat — at age 19 — with three others he had grown up with at Melrose Home.
The residential care facility, run by the Children’s Aid Society (CAS), is for children and youth aged seven to 21 with adverse family circumstances, such as abuse and neglect.
And after nearly a decade of dormitories and fixed routines, Edward had his own bedroom and could arrange things however he liked. He could choose what to cook, when to head out and stay up as late as he wanted.
But responsibilities soon hit him harder than he had expected. He struggled to keep up the rent as expenses piled up, and he borrowed from a flatmate at times to make ends meet.
“It was a big reality (check),” he said. “We had no clue (about) the cost … of living outside.”
About 500 children and adolescents are in out-of-home residential care in Singapore. By the time they turn 21, about 30 individuals a year will age out of care without being able to reintegrate with their families.
Without support, the transition to independent living can be especially challenging for care leavers like Edward, with housing among their most pressing concerns.
