SINGAPORE — Singapore is stepping up efforts to help people sleeping rough move toward stable housing and employment, with 17 community-led projects receiving support under a new government fund aimed at tackling homelessness.
The initiatives, announced by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Aug. 19, cover housing, employment, outreach, social reintegration and youth support. Eleven of the projects will specifically test new approaches to provide more tailored assistance to rough sleepers.
At the centre of the effort is the S$450,000 Partnership to Tackle Homelessness (PATH) fund, which was introduced after Singapore recorded 496 rough sleepers during a nationwide single-night street count in July 2025.
The figure was down 6.4 per cent from the 530 people counted in 2022. But officials and social-service groups say the numbers only tell part of the story.
A place to stay does not always mean a place to go home
One of the most striking findings from MSF’s 2025 survey was that rough sleeping is not always caused simply by a lack of housing.
Nearly half — 47 per cent — of surveyed rough sleepers said they had somewhere they could potentially return to, including public rental flats, properties they owned or homes belonging to relatives or friends.
The most commonly cited reason for sleeping rough was conflict with family members, friends or co-tenants, reported by 49 per cent of respondents. Difficulties securing or maintaining housing accounted for about 29 per cent, while 20 per cent cited financial difficulties.
The issue is therefore more complicated than simply providing a roof.
A three-year study by the Institute of Policy Studies, released alongside the 2025 street-count findings, found that long-term homelessness can develop through a combination of pressures accumulated over different stages of life. These include family breakdown, income loss, unemployment, poor health, abuse and other personal or social stressors.
New idea: Match rough sleepers with compatible flatmates
One of the 17 newly supported projects is the Common Ground – Joint Singles Scheme Matching Programme, which aims to help single rough sleepers find compatible co-tenants so they can jointly rent a public rental flat.
The idea addresses one of the practical barriers faced by single applicants: finding someone suitable to share a rental unit with.
Good News Community Services, which is involved in the initiative, has already conducted a matching event where potential co-tenants could meet and discuss their habits and preferences — including issues such as sleeping schedules, noise, visitors and cleanliness — before deciding whether to live together.
The programme complements Singapore’s existing Joint Singles Scheme (JSS), which allows two singles to jointly rent a flat.
Under the separate JSS Operator-Run pilot, singles do not have to find a flatmate themselves. A social-service agency can match tenants based on their profiles, preferences and living habits.
Yet awareness remains a challenge.
MSF’s 2025 findings showed that while 58 per cent of surveyed rough sleepers were aware of newer public-rental housing options, only 39 per cent said they were willing to apply or would consider applying for them.
A job could be another step out of homelessness
Housing is only one part of the equation.
Another PATH-supported initiative, called MAPS — Micro-employment and Apprenticeship Pathways to Stability, aims to help rough sleepers become work-ready through apprenticeships, micro-jobs and other tailored employment opportunities.
The project is designed around a gradual transition rather than simply placing someone into a full-time job immediately.
That approach reflects the reality faced by some rough sleepers, who may have difficulty meeting conventional employment requirements or paying for training.
Hope Initiative Alliance, one of the organisations behind the project, previously helped a rough sleeper obtain employment after sponsoring another attempt at a security-related assessment when he could not afford the additional training.
MSF’s 2025 survey found that 65 per cent of respondents had some form of employment, including 35 per cent working full-time and 20 per cent working part-time.
But more than 70 per cent of employed respondents earned less than S$2,000 a month, showing that having a job does not necessarily translate into housing stability.
Why some rough sleepers still avoid shelters
Singapore has also been trying to make transitional shelters more attractive.
MSF said its transitional shelters have about 730 beds, while community-run Safe Sound Sleeping Places provide additional temporary overnight accommodation.
But shelter availability alone does not guarantee take-up.
MSF’s 2025 survey found that 80 per cent of respondents had never stayed in a shelter, while many who had experienced shelters were reluctant to return.
Privacy and personal space were among the major concerns. In response, MSF has worked with shelter operators to redesign spaces with features such as partitions, shelves and wardrobes.
The latest PATH projects will also help improve several Safe Sound Sleeping Places (S3Ps) operated by community organisations.
At Toa Payoh Methodist Church, for example, funding will support improvements including lockers, cabinets, new mattresses and other facilities intended to make the shelter safer and more comfortable.
For people carrying most of their possessions with them, secure storage can make a significant difference — including allowing them to leave their belongings behind while working or looking for work.
The numbers are falling — but the problem remains deeply personal
MSF’s 2025 street count found 496 rough sleepers, down from 530 in 2022.
Most were men, with about 85 per cent male, and more than half were aged above 50. Rough sleepers were identified in 35 of Singapore’s 36 planning areas covered by the count, with the highest numbers recorded in Bukit Merah and Jurong West, followed by Bedok.
But the survey also revealed how entrenched the problem can become.
About 77 per cent of respondents had been sleeping rough for more than a year, while 70 per cent said it was not their first experience of sleeping rough.
At the same time, 57 per cent expressed a desire to move into long-term housing.
That apparent contradiction — wanting stable housing while continuing to sleep rough — is central to understanding Singapore’s homelessness challenge.
For some, the obstacle is not simply the absence of a home. It may be damaged relationships, financial insecurity, difficulties living with others, unfamiliarity with support services or a lack of trust built up over time.
What happens next?
The next phase of Singapore’s response is increasingly focused on early intervention, personalised support and rebuilding stability, rather than treating homelessness as a problem that can be solved with shelter alone.
The PATH fund is intended to allow community organisations to test approaches based on their direct experience with rough sleepers.
MSF has said the goal is not merely to provide temporary accommodation, but also to help people rebuild relationships, develop skills and support networks, and remain stably housed.
The next application window for the PATH fund is scheduled to open in March 2027.
Singapore’s rough-sleeper count may be moving in the right direction. But the latest initiatives point to a bigger lesson: getting someone off the street is only the first step. Keeping them housed may require solving the family, financial, employment and social problems that put them there in the first place.
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