75 low-income families get cash with no strings attached in trial

Better mental health, job security seen with payouts of up to 550 a month

- Ng Wei Kai

Exhausted and hopeless was how Ms Irawati began 2022 as the then jobless mother struggled to put food on the table.

Her husband's income as a delivery rider was unstable, and she was often disappointed in herself for being unable to provide the best for her five children, who are between two and 16 now.

But things got better when she began receiving $550 each month for a year and a half, money which gave her the confidence, motivation and breathing room to find full-time work, said the 37-year-old who goes by one name. She is now working as an office cleaner.

Her household was one of 75 lowincome families who received between $300 and $550 a month between May 2022 and November 2023 through social service agency Awwa's Family Empowerment Programme.

The cash assistance came without any strings attached, meaning that they did not need to secure employment or meet other conditions to receive the funds.

The programme was run as a randomised control trial - the first on such unconditional cash transfers in Singapore.

Similar programmes have been conducted overseas, including cash transfers to low-income New Yorkers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Awwa's project found that the cash improved participants' mental health and job security, compared with a control group of 95 households.

The organisation announced these results at an event held on July 17 at Awwa Home and Day Activity Centre in Pasir Ris, with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam attending as guest of honour, accompanied by his spouse, Ms Jane Ittogi.