Number of Cases of Women and Their Children Seeking Help and Receiving Shelter from Family Service Centres and Family Violence Specialist Centres in Past Three Years
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns an inquiry by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim regarding the number of women and children receiving shelter from family violence, their stay durations, and subsequent housing outcomes. Minister Masagos Zulkifli B M M stated that crisis shelters take in about 180 cases annually, with most residents known to Family Service Centres or Family Violence Specialist Centres. Referrals occur when safety risks are high, with residents staying while social service professionals develop safety plans and long-term housing arrangements. Minister Masagos Zulkifli B M M noted that while many residents return home or stay with family, a small proportion move to public rental housing or transitional shelters. Discharge from these shelters is only finalized once social service professionals have helped residents identify and secure safe and suitable alternative accommodation.
Transcript
25 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development for the past three years broken down on a yearly basis (a) what is the number of cases of women and their children who have sought help from Family Service Centres and Family Violence Specialist Centres and received shelter; (b) what is the average duration of their stay at these shelters; and (c) what is the proportion of them that move on to either rental housing or transitional shelters upon discharge from these shelters.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Persons experiencing family violence may seek help from the Family Service Centres (FSC) and Family Violence Specialist Centres (FVSC). Where the safety risk is high or there is no safe and suitable alternative accommodation option, FSCs, FVSCs and the Police can refer women and children facing violence to community-based crisis shelters for temporary accommodation, while social service professionals work through safety plans and longer-term housing arrangements with them.
The crisis shelters do not track the source of the referrals, although a majority of their residents are known to either FSCs or FVSCs. On average, crisis shelters take in about 180 family violence cases each year. The average duration of stay for residents in the crisis shelters was as follows:
Residents are discharged from crisis shelters when they have found alternative safe accommodation. Many stay with their families and friends, or return to their own flats. A small proportion go on to reside in public rental housing or transitional shelters:
