Many might be surprised that there are homeless people in Singapore. In fact, there are about 1000 people living on the streets in Singapore. Homelessness is often hidden in plain sight and with it being so hidden, it is easy for people to have misconceptions and questions surrounding it. What does it mean to be homeless? Why are people homeless and should we see homelessness as a problem that needs solving?

On the seventh episode of the second season, host and Associate Director at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Liang Kaixin chats with Dr Harry Tan, Research Fellow at IPS, and June Chua, Co-founder of The T Project, to talk about the state of homelessness in Singapore and the possible options that we can provide to the homeless to better support them. 

Find out more about homelessness:
The Straits Times (16 Nov 2021): Helping the homeless beyond putting a roof over their heads
South China Morning Post (20 May 2020): Homeless in Singapore: why some prefer to sleep rough during coronavirus circuit breaker despite more shelter beds
The Straits Times (24 Mar 2020): Whole-of-community approach needed to help Singapore’s homeless: Expert panel
CNA (8 Nov 2019): About 1,000 homeless people live on Singapore’s streets: Study
Mothership (3 Oct 2019): Shanmugam visits T Project shelter, S’pore’s first & only social service for transgender people
CNA (30 Jul 2019): ‘You don’t know our pain’: Helping the homeless find their way home

About our guests:

Dr Harry Tan

Research Fellow at Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)

Harry is a Research Fellow in the Policy Lab at the Institute of Policy Studies. His research interests are in homelessness, social inequality, social policy, housing insecurity and addiction issues. He has researched on the homeless population in Singapore, street children in Thailand and Singapore’s street buskers. 

Harry is also a volunteer in the PEERS (Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers) network in Singapore and has worked closely with people experiencing homelessness in Singapore since 2012 and in Melbourne from 2015 to 2017.

Harry received his PhD in Sociology from Monash University, Australia in 2018 and was a postdoctoral research fellow under the Sociology department at the National University of Singapore (NUS) from 2019 to 2020.

June Chua

Co-founder of T Project

June is the Co-founder and Executive Director of The T Project, Singapore’s first transgender shelter. In 2018, she opened the Alicia Community Centre which offers counselling services and other resources to transgender and queer youths.

She has participated in various outreach and advocacy events in Singapore and abroad. In 2018, she participated in the 7th ILGA Asia Conference, the Peace Boat’s 97th Voyage Asia and the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Programme.

In 2016, she received the AWARE Champion for Gender Equality & Justice Award and the Promising Advocate of the Year during the Singapore Advocacy Awards (SAA), a peer initiative organised by The Working Committee 3 (TWC3), a group of civil society activists.

On Diversity is a podcast inspired by the Institute of Policy Studies Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, we chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making, and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.

More from On Diversity
Season 2 Episode 6: The Young vs The Old, with Kanwaljit Soin, Orthopaedic and Hand Surgeon, and Teo Kay Key, IPS Research Fellow
Season 2 Episode 5: The New Civil Society, with Carol Soon, IPS Senior Research Fellow and Head of Society and Culture, and Woo Qiyun, Environmentalist and creator of The Weird and Wild
Season 2 Episode 4: Diversity in Elite Schools, with Gillian Koh, IPS Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, and Paul Jerusalem, master’s student at NUS
Season 2 Episode 3: The Plight of Buskers, with Yeo Ying Hao, Co-chairman of Buskers Assocation, and Louis Ng, Nee Soon GRC MP 
Season 2 Episode 2: Stay-at-home Dads, with Kelvin Seah, full-time stay-home-dad of two, and Tam Wai Jia, Medical Doctor

Many might be surprised that there are homeless people in Singapore. In fact, there are about 1000 people living on the streets in Singapore. Homelessness is often hidden in plain sight and with it being so hidden, it is easy for people to have misconceptions and questions surrounding it. What does it mean to be homeless? Why are people homeless and should we see homelessness as a problem that needs solving?
On the seventh episode of the second season, host and Associate Director at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Liang Kaixin chats with Dr Harry Tan, Research Fellow at IPS, and June Chua, Co-founder of The T Project, to talk about the state of homelessness in Singapore and the possible options that we can provide to the homeless to better support them.&nbsp;
Find out more about homelessness:
<ul>
<li>The Straits Times (16 Nov 2021): <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/helping-the-homeless-beyond-putting-a-roof-over-their-heads">Helping the homeless beyond putting a roof over their heads</a></li>
<li>South China Morning Post (20 May 2020): <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3085214/homeless-singapore-why-some-prefer-sleep-rough-during">Homeless in Singapore: why some prefer to sleep rough during coronavirus circuit breaker despite more shelter beds</a></li>
<li>The Straits Times (24 Mar 2020): <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/whole-of-community-approach-needed-to-help-singapores-homeless-expert-panel">Whole-of-community approach needed to help Singapore&rsquo;s homeless: Expert panel</a></li>
<li>CNA (8 Nov 2019): <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/1000-homeless-people-singapore-study-848596">About 1,000 homeless people live on Singapore&rsquo;s streets: Study</a></li>
<li>Mothership (3 Oct 2019): <a href="https://mothership.sg/2019/10/shanmugam-visits-t-project-shelter-spores-first-only-social-service-for-transgender-people/">Shanmugam visits T Project shelter, S&rsquo;pore&rsquo;s first &amp; only social service for transgender people</a></li>
<li>CNA (30 Jul 2019): &lsquo;<a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/homeless-in-singapore-cws-msf-1320261">You don&rsquo;t know our pain&rsquo;: Helping the homeless find their way home</a></li>
</ul>
About our guests:
Dr Harry Tan
Research Fellow at Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)
Harry is a Research Fellow in the Policy Lab at the Institute of Policy Studies.&nbsp;His research interests are in homelessness, social inequality, social policy, housing insecurity and addiction issues.&nbsp;He has researched on the homeless population in Singapore, street children in Thailand and Singapore&rsquo;s street buskers.&nbsp; Harry is also a volunteer in the PEERS (Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers) network in Singapore and has worked closely with people experiencing homelessness in Singapore since 2012 and in Melbourne from 2015 to 2017. Harry received his PhD in Sociology from Monash University, Australia in 2018 and was a postdoctoral research fellow under the Sociology department at the National University of Singapore (NUS) from 2019 to 2020.
June Chua
Co-founder of T Project
June is the Co-founder and Executive Director of The T Project, Singapore&rsquo;s first transgender shelter. In 2018, she opened the Alicia Community Centre which offers counselling services and other resources to transgender and queer youths.
She has participated in various outreach and advocacy events in Singapore and abroad. In 2018, she participated in the 7th ILGA Asia Conference, the Peace Boat&rsquo;s 97th Voyage Asia and the U.S. Department of State&rsquo;s International Visitor Leadership Programme.
In 2016, she received the AWARE Champion for Gender Equality &amp; Justice Award and the Promising Advocate of the Year during the Singapore Advocacy Awards (SAA), a peer initiative organised by The Working Committee 3 (TWC3), a group of civil society activists.
On Diversity is a podcast inspired by the Institute of Policy Studies Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, we chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making, and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.
More from On Diversity
<ul>
<li>Season 2 Episode 6: The Young vs The Old, with Kanwaljit Soin, Orthopaedic and Hand Surgeon, and Teo Kay Key, IPS Research Fellow</li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s2e5-the-new-civil-society/">Season 2 Episode 5: The New Civil Society, with Carol Soon, IPS Senior Research Fellow and Head of Society and Culture, and Woo Qiyun, Environmentalist and creator of The Weird and Wild</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s2e4-diversity-in-elite-schools/">Season 2 Episode 4: Diversity in Elite Schools, with Gillian Koh, IPS Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, and Paul Jerusalem, master&rsquo;s student at NUS</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s2e3-the-plight-of-buskers/">Season 2 Episode 3: The Plight of Buskers, with Yeo Ying Hao, Co-chairman of Buskers Assocation, and Louis Ng, Nee Soon GRC MP </a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s2e2-stay-at-home-dads/">Season 2 Episode 2: Stay-at-home Dads, with Kelvin Seah, full-time stay-home-dad of two, and Tam Wai Jia, Medical Doctor</a></li>
</ul>

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme.

In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.

On Diversity features new episodes every week.

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme.
In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.
On Diversity features new episodes every week.

IPS On Diversity Podcast

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. On Diversity features new episodes every week.

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. On Diversity features new episodes every week.

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