There are solutions to sleeping rough

It is commendable that the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) conducted a single-night street count and survey of rough sleepers in November 2022, the results of which were

released this week

. This method of counting includes rough sleepers who are unwilling to engage with services, and therefore are unlikely to be reflected in existing shelter and outreach data. Also, single-night counting minimises duplicate counting over a period of time, since rough sleepers may move to different locations and be counted more than once. The results of the MSF’s single-night count indicate that the number of people spending the night in public spaces here fell by more than 40 per cent to 530 in 2022, from 921 in 2019.

The good news lies in the reduction in numbers, which themselves are minuscule compared with Singapore’s population. Also, the MSF defines “homeless persons” as those who do not have access to adequate housing, while the term “rough sleepers” refers to all persons sleeping in public spaces, regardless of their housing circumstances. Homeless persons do not necessarily sleep rough as they may have access to alternative accommodation, such as shelters funded by the Government and community partners, while they seek long-term stable housing. Likewise, rough sleepers are not necessarily homeless. In fact, the most common reasons cited for sleeping rough were disagreements with family members or co-habitants, although there also were issues with securing or maintaining housing, and financial problems. Whichever way it is seen, however, rough sleeping goes against the grain of public policy founded on subsidised public housing, including rental housing, which underpins the familial infrastructure of Singapore society. The street can never be home.