STRICKEN with brain tumour and almost blind in one eye, former driver Yeow Poh Kim has gone many a day without meals since he lost his job.

He cannot remember when he stopped work, but the 53-year-old said he spent months alone in his one-room rental flat, broke and dependent on his sister for food and money.

Some schemes COMCARE WORK SUPPORT Applicants may get monthly cash grants and help in paying their bills, among other forms of aid, if they are willing to be self-reliant - by finding and keeping their jobs, for example. ... more

Speaking in Mandarin, Mr Yeow said: 'There are days when I went hungry and just sat around, waiting to die.'

Then, he heard from his neighbours that the Government would help people like him, and so he approached his Community Development Council (CDC).

Now, he gets $330 a month from the ComCare Transitions scheme, and the money pays for his meals and some of his medicine.

Like Mr Yeow, many Singaporeans in need of government aid are either unaware that they can get help, or do not know where to turn.

The Government is hoping to reach out to them, and will announce its plans to do so during the Budget debate.

For now, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, the Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), is urging those facing tough times to ask for help if they really need it.

'The resources are there, the money is there. If you really face difficulty or tremendous pressure, please ask for help,' she said yesterday.

There is enough money to go around, she said, because some of the funds set aside to help those who need it have gone untapped.

For instance, only $1.6million of the $6.25million set aside for the Citizens' Consultative Committee-ComCare Fund in MCYS' current financial year had been disbursed as of last December.

This fund can be used by grassroots leaders to help residents who need urgent financial help.

When asked why the bulk of the funds had not been given out, Mrs Yu-Foo said: 'Singaporeans have this dignity, they don't casually ask for help. But I want to tell those who really need help, it's not a shame to ask for help.'

She also urged grassroots leaders to be 'more flexible, more sympathetic and more pro-active' in extending help to their residents during this recession.

The MCYS plans to train more social workers and grassroots leaders to reach out to those who need help, she added.

Mrs Yu-Foo's call comes a day after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong assured Singaporeans that everyone who needs help as the country battles the recession would get it.

The MCYS expects to spend about $160million in its current financial year to help the poor via its help schemes, and to fund social services run by charities.

Last year, 40,681 people applied for the various ComCare help schemes, an increase of 33per cent over the year before.

ComCare, set up in 2005 and billed as the 'final safety net' for the poor, has some $800million in its kitty.

It provides the poor with a variety of aid, from childcare subsidies to helping people who are temporarily unable to work, perhaps because of illness, but who do not qualify for the public assistance scheme.

Only those who permanently cannot work and have little or no family support qualify for the public assistance scheme.

About 24,000 families benefited from ComCare schemes at the end of last year.

For help, call the ComCare helpline on 1800-222-0000.

theresat@sph.com.sg