Wendy Chua
Housing and Development Board

Instead of giving up when they were repeatedly chased away by a hostile, mentally unsound resident, Wendy Chua and her colleagues were all the more determined to help him.

A resident in Ang Mo Kio had lodged a complaint to the Housing and Development Board (HDB) about his leaking ceiling. When the officer handling the case faced great difficulties gaining access to the flat directly above the complainant's unit to check the source of the leak, she turned to Wendy.

As the estates officer in charge of the block, Wendy hoped to trace the source of the problem and help the residents to carry out repairs quickly. But things did not happen as smoothly as she had hoped.

"My staff and I made at least five visits to the flat. Each time, we were refused entry to the flat despite explaining to the lessee that our purpose was to render assistance. On every encounter, he turned hostile and shouted at us and chased us away," said Wendy.

"I was fearful and felt helpless each time I was chased away. I was also disappointed when the lessee refused to give me a chance to explain the purpose of our visits. From his behaviour, I suspected that he could be mentally unwell.

"However, after I returned to the office and recovered from the shock, I was more determined that I should assist the lessee in view of his condition."

Unforgettable home visit

Wendy arranged for her principal technical officer to approach Yio Chu Kang Zone 2 Residents' Committee (RC) Chairman for assistance. From him, she learnt that the lessee was mentally unwell and got the contact number of the lessee's sister. With the sister's help, Wendy was finally allowed to enter the flat.

She will never forget what she saw that day: The flat was in a dilapidated and uninhabitable condition. The pedestal pan was broken and had sharp edges. The toilet floor tiles had deteriorated. Old and damaged electrical wires were dangling from the ceiling. The ceilings in the two toilets were spalling and the reinforcement steel bars were exposed.

Wendy also saw the lessee's 68-year-old mother crawling on the floor as one of her legs had been amputated.

"My colleagues and I felt very sorry for the lessee and his mother after learning about the tragedy the elderly lady had experienced both physically and emotionally. We were determined to do whatever we could to help this unfortunate family," said Wendy.

Mammoth coordination effort

To repair the flat, Wendy approached various organisations for help.

She arranged for the lessee to be warded at the Institute of Mental Health while the flat was under repair, and for police assistance in case the lessee turned hostile. The RC and social workers from a Family Service Centre were also on hand to offer assistance.

Wendy arranged for the lessee's mother to stay at an old folks' home temporarily, and persuaded Central Singapore Community Development Council to cover the cost of her stay.

HDB's contractors moved in swiftly and completed the repairs in 10 days. Ang Mo Kio Town Council was roped in to remove rotten food and debris in the flat. Volunteers from a welfare home helped to clean up the flat after the repairs were completed.

Mr Seng Han Thong, Adviser to the Yio Chu Kang Grassroots Organisations, supported the lessee's application under the Government's Goodwill Repair Assistance scheme, so the lessee would only have to pay 25% of the total repair cost. Furthermore, the RC Chairman offered to foot the cost payable by the lessee.

Most satisfying experience

At the end of the day, Wendy was glad that she and her team were able to help the lessee in more ways than one.

According to the lessee's sister, after the lessee was discharged from IMH, his condition improved significantly. He was able to talk sensibly and took the initiative to tidy up his bedroom.

"This is the most satisfying experience among the cases that I have worked on," she said. "It is most comforting to be able to improve our residents' quality of life."

When HDB's then Chief Executive Officer, Mr Niam Chiang Meng, learnt of the case, he complimented the team with these words: "My heartfelt thanks to all those involved in making life for these residents a better one. Those staff involved have done us proud, going that extra mile to make a difference in others' lives. This is clearly a case we could all learn from."

— Contributed by Kenny Chan, HDB