Message from Lakeside Family Services
Lakeside Family Services (LFS) was established in 1993 as one of the first Family Service Centres in Singapore. Lakeside is a Registered Charity, an Institution of Public Character (IPC) and a Member of the National Council of Social Service.
Lakeside’s services include:
• Two Family Service Centres serving the vulnerable and needy in the community
• Two Student Care Centres, caring for children from mainstream as well as disadvantaged families
• A Seniors Wellness Centre (Kaki Kampong) that equips and mobilises senior volunteers to serve vulnerable, sick, and isolated seniors in the community
• A Children & Youth Centre (The GRIT Project) that reaches out to at-risk children and youths and provides mentoring through sports and arts
• Prisons Services including teleconferencing facilities for families to visit their loved ones in prison, as well as a Family Resource Centre based in Changi Prison Link Centre, to serve the incarcerated and their families. Lakeside also provides pre-release counselling and aftercare for ex-offenders to facilitate their reintegration into society.
• Safe Place, a service that empowers women with unsupported pregnancies make life-giving choices, by providing counselling, financial assistance and residential care.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the families we serve are going through extremely difficult times. Some have lost their jobs, while others have had their salaries reduced by 50% or more. These families struggle to have enough for their daily expenses, on top of coping with their existing issues of bereavement, loss, and incarceration. Lakeside’s Caring Amidst COVID-19 Fund offers immediate assistance to these families, over and above the available financial assistance schemes, which may be insufficient to meet their needs during these unusual and critical times. All funds raised will go to the affected families. Your support is deeply appreciated.
Yours sincerely
Teo Tee Loon
Executive Director
Lakeside Family Services
Beneficiaries
Families supported by Lakeside Caring Amidst Covid-19 Fund
Family 1
Of Mdm Aminah’s (not her real name) 4 children – all under 5 years old – 3 are diagnosed with autism. She has no support from friends or family. Before, her children would attend the Early Intervention Programme for Infants & Children thrice a week. Now that the programme is closed, she no longer gets any breaks from caregiving.
Her husband’s income started falling in late December 2019, and he has seen his overtime work further reduced by the COVID-19 situation. They struggle to pay their household bills, including diapers, milk powder, utilities, and telco bills. Although the family receives financial assistance of $150/month from a foundation, they are still unable to cover their monthly expenses. The overwhelming stress has taken a toll on their marriage, sleep, and health.
Family 2
Mdm Lim (not her real name), 52, lives with her 3 children aged 12, 14 and 15. Her husband passed away from cancer a few years ago. She has since been taking care of the children all by herself, working as a cleaner. She is receiving financial assistance that supplements her low income and feeds her family of four. Owing to the Circuit Breaker, she has not been able to work, and now receives one free meal daily from a Social Service Agency (SSA). The magnanimous and helpful Mdm Lim has decided to not just be a taker, but a giver, too. As such, she has been helping the SSA deliver free meals to other needy people and less mobile seniors. It is laudable that despite her predicament, she is willing to step forward and help others during this time of crisis. However, she does need extra help with finances to tide her and her family through this difficult season.