Home for teen girls healing from abuse officially opens after relocation with expanded services

SINGAPORE – A centre for teenage girls from difficult backgrounds who are healing from trauma and abuse was officially launched at its new home on Sept 9.

HCSA Dayspring, a residential treatment centre, supports girls up to 18 years old who have survived different forms of abuse.

The centre, which previously operated from Turf Club Road, has now taken over the former St John’s Home for Elderly Persons in Wan Tho Avenue near Potong Pasir.

After moving to its new home in June 2024, the centre expanded its services to include Small Group Care, a specialised care home model developed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development for those with moderate to high levels of needs.

This doubled its capacity for care, and the centre now serves up to 27 teenage girls at a time. Other than the girls in Small Group Care, Dayspring looks after girls in the Therapeutic Group Home section.

The girls from the Therapeutic Group Home present more clinical symptoms like active trauma, and their care may commonly involve medical professionals.

Former Singapore president Halimah Yacob, who attended the launch, recalled that her first visit to the organisation was in 2017, after she became president.

She said she has witnessed over the years how centres like Dayspring perform a much-needed service to support recovery and the rebuilding of lives.

Madam Halimah said she has been privileged to advocate for women throughout her career in public service.

“As the first female president, I deeply value how representation shapes possibility.”

She said that on her

last day in the President’s Office

, she reflected on how serving in the role has helped others imagine a woman when they think of a president.

“We know how powerful images and ideas are because they give birth to reality.

“I am most grateful to have empowered women in Singapore to push the boundaries and reach their fullest potential,” she added.

HCSA Community Services, which runs the centre, has helped 141 girls since it started its residential care services in 2011.

More than one-third of them, or 52 young women, have continued to volunteer with the organisation to support one another and current residents.

HCSA Community Services is a charity that serves different groups, including former offenders and single-parent families.

One of the young women is Ms Natasha, who joined Dayspring in 2015 after a suicide attempt. Her mental health struggles stemmed from childhood sexual abuse involving her extended family.

Supportive staff, therapy sessions and a stable routine at the centre helped her uncover the root of her pain and begin her healing journey.

“The staff didn’t see me as a problem to be fixed, but as a person with a deeper wound to heal,” the 26-year-old said.

She “graduated” from the centre in 2016, and is currently aiming to attain a degree in early childhood education.

“When I graduated from the centre, I carried with me the determination to prove that people like me, who have been through abuse or who have come from dysfunctional families, can rise above the stereotypes,” she said.

“We are not destined to fail in life, to drop out of school, to fall into substance abuse, or to repeat the cycle of abuse.”

Madam Halimah, who planted a lemon tree during the event, said the tree symbolises the resilience she hopes the girls at the centre will carry with them.

“It embodies the belief that our young women here were tested by pain but are not defined by it. Instead, they have the capacity to grow, to assist and to bloom in their fullest potential,” she said.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua and Potong Pasir MP Alex Yeo also attended the event.

Mr Chua led an activity to seal an SG60 time capsule containing 60 letters filled with messages of encouragement, hope and wishes for future generations of trauma survivors. The time capsule will remain sealed until Singapore’s 70th birthday in 2035.

Mr Chua said the time capsule is a declaration of hope, preserved for the future.

“By 2035, when these messages are opened, we want the next generation at HCSA Dayspring to see that our community believed in their strength and potential, even before they could fully see it themselves. Just as the letters will stand the test of time, so too will the resilience and determination of these girls,” he said.

“Our social service professionals are leaving legacies of encouragement and building foundations that our children can stand on for years to come.”

The president of the HCSA board of directors, Ms Dominique Choy, said: “Healing takes time, courage and a community that sees their potential, not just their struggles. As we open this new chapter in our services, our vision is for every girl who walks through HCSA Dayspring’s doors to leave not only restored but equipped with hope, dignity and the tools to shape their own future.

“This home is more than a shelter – it is a promise that no girl will have to walk her journey alone.”

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