Where Reintegration Is Not An Option: Post-Care Housing for Youths Who Age Out of Care in Singapore

In Singapore, around 500 children and youths are in out-of-home residential care due to abuse or neglect. While most eventually reintegrate with their families, a small number – around 30 a year – are unable to and would age out into independent living by the time they turn 21 years old.

This critical life transition could be especially daunting for these care leavers as they juggle education, finances, housing, and other demands of independent living with limited support, and could set their trajectory and determine their longer-time life outcomes post-care. In particular, housing options for these care leavers are extremely limited due to existing eligibility criteria for public housing and the care leavers’ general lack of financial resources.

In recognition of these challenges, Melrose Home, the residential home under CAS, launched the Thrive21+ pilot in 2022 to support care leavers aged 17 and above and aims to help develop them in the areas of educational attainment, asset-building, employment, financial literacy, and other life skills.

It consists of a year-long independent living preparation (Year 1) and a two-year Housing Programme (Years 2 and 3). Under the Housing Programme, participants rent an apartment together and co-pay the living expenses for Years 2 and 3 with the support of social workers. For the inaugural batch, a total of eight participants were enrolled in Year 1 of the programme, with six of them being unable to reintegrate with their families. Of these six, four are participating in the Housing Programme.

This report presents findings of a qualitative evaluation study conducted by Quantedge Foundation (Singapore) (QFS), in collaboration with CAS, with a focus on Thrive21+ Housing Programme.

Let’s Support Care Leavers Together
If you’re keen to explore how you or your organisation can support care leavers – through housing, employment, funding, or other collaborations – we’d love to hear from you.