Redesigning Shelter Models to Better Meet Needs of Rough Sleepers

3 Mr Gabriel Lam asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry is concerned that 75% of surveyed rough sleepers in its 2025 survey on rough sleepers reported being unreceptive to staying in a shelter; and (b) how is the Ministry redesigning shelter models to better meet the needs of rough sleepers who avoid existing options.

4 Mr Gabriel Lam asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how does the Ministry interpret the finding that 95% of respondents in the 2025 survey on rough sleepers sleep rough consistently in the same location; (b) whether this reflects unmet place-based needs; and (c) how does this finding inform the Ministry's outreach strategies to be better tailored for individuals reluctant to relocate to shelters.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Eric Chua) (for the Minister for Social and Family Development): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to address Question Nos 3 and 4 in today's Order Paper together?

Mr Speaker: Yes, you do. Please proceed.

Mr Eric Chua: Thank you, Sir. The 2025 Street Count of Rough Sleepers Survey by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) found that most rough sleepers choose to sleep in locations that are sheltered from the elements and are generally well-lit. These locations also tend to be places they are familiar with, near to friends and family, and some rough sleepers also choose locations that are close to their workplace for convenience. Based on our interactions with rough sleepers, these considerations apply across all geographical locations.

Rough sleeping is a complex issue. Many rough sleepers have homes to return to but rough sleep due to disagreements with family, friends or co-tenants. MSF staff and volunteers from the Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers (PEERS) Network journey with rough sleepers to address the underlying needs and often, a process of trust and rapport building is needed before meaningful support and interventions could be rendered. Over time, we hope more rough sleepers would be prepared to consider shelter and social services support, though the pathway for each rough sleeper would likely be different, just as their individual circumstances differ.

Overall, MSF works to ensure that shelter support remains accessible to rough sleepers. For example, to address the survey finding that lack of privacy and personal space were key barriers to rough sleepers moving into shelters, MSF has partnered our shelter operators and re-designed the units with partitioned bed spaces, shelves and wardrobes. The Member may also wish to refer to MSF’s 2025 Street Count Report for more details.

MSF has also recently announced a $450,000 Partnership to Tackle Homelessness (PATH) fund and invites organisations to trial innovative solutions to address underlying causes of rough sleeping and help rough sleepers work towards housing stability.

Mr Speaker: Mr Lam.

Mr Gabriel Lam (Sembawang): I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his response. In my interactions with rough sleepers, they have cited a few reasons, including a lack of privacy and personal space, as the Senior Parliamentary Secretary has mentioned. They have also cited instances of shelter rules and safety concerns. Would MSF have the proportion of rough sleepers who decline shelters due to rules, safety concerns or loss of autonomy?

And my second supplementary question would be, will MSF publish utilisation rates of shelters alongside the rough sleepers count?

Mr Eric Chua: Sir, I thank the Member, Mr Gabriel Lam, for his two supplementary questions. We do understand that there are rough sleepers who, for reasons of rules at the shelters, not quite want to do that. The prevalence rate is about 75% based on the last street count. About three-quarters of rough sleepers on the streets today, they do not wish to check into the shelter because of rules, privacy, as I have mentioned, storage space and so on. But the primary reason is still one of privacy as well as personal spaces, which is why we have worked with community partners, like New Hope Community Services, to start redesigning our shelter spaces.

On his second supplementary question, about utilisation rates, yes, we do publish that. In the Street Count Report, we mentioned 730 transitional shelter bed spaces. As of September last year, utilisation rate was about two thirds or 66%.