Residents will miss beloved community hub at void deck

For nearly two decades, the hundreds of households at Henderson Heights found at the foot of Block 93 Henderson Road a space that catered to many of their needs.

- Wong Yang

Called the We Love Learning (WeLL) Centre, the roughly 420 sq m space at the void deck has been many things: a tuition centre, a children's library, and a place to get free groceries, food rations, and even used electronic goods.

Run by grassroots volunteers, the centre has been a rallying point for the community at Henderson Heights and its cluster of rental flats since it opened in 2005.

But the centre will soon shut. The residents it serves, from Blocks 91, 92 and 93 Henderson Road, are being relocated to rental flats across Singapore by the Housing Board, which is reviewing development plans for the area.

The WeLL Centre will also move to a new neighbourhood at Block 129 Bukit Merah View by May 2025.

Many Henderson Heights residents told The Straits Times the centre has been a source of help during tough times, and they will miss the volunteers there when the place finally goes.

Ms Diyana Abdullah, 46, said she felt alone when she moved to the estate as a single mother-of-three in 2010.

"But a year or two later, I came to the WeLL Centre and learnt there were people who wanted to support me and my kids," said the freelance make-up artist, who rents a two-room flat in Block 91.

She had to look after five children at one point - her niece and nephew came under her care after her sister died in 2012 - and the WeLL Centre gave the children free primary- and secondary-level tuition in maths, science and English.