Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) Beneficiaries

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Acting Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the number of families who have benefited from the Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) scheme since its introduction; (b) what is the ethnic breakdown in absolute numbers of the beneficiaries; and (c) whether the HOPE scheme remains relevant today, especially in light of Singapore's declining population.

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The Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) scheme was introduced in January 2004. It is a voluntary scheme for young low-income families who choose to keep their families small. Beneficiaries are provided with help for a head-start in the form of cash grants as well as funding in housing, training and children's education. They also receive mentoring support.

There were 2,674 families on HOPE as of end September 2012. The ethnic breakdown, based on the ethnicity of the mothers, is as follows: 45% were Malay, 33% Chinese, 15% Indian, and the rest from other ethnic groups.

MSF will review the HOPE scheme as part of our regular programme reviews. We will review it to see if it needs to be refined or improved.

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