SINGAPORE — With demand expected to rise for residential places at homes for persons with disabilities, the Government will increase the number of places about threefold, from 830 to 2,400 by 2020.

Currently, there are eight adult disability homes here. Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Acting Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing also announced two pilot programmes this year: A drop-in disability programme for persons with disabilities who do not require full daycare but who need social interaction and recreational activities, and group homes for persons with disabilities who are relatively independent.

Mr Chan was responding to Moulmein-Kallang GRC Member of Parliament Denise Phua, who asked if there were plans to set up more services such as respite services, residential homes and day activity centres for moderately to severely disabled adults here.

Mr Chan noted that despite the Government’s effort to support home- and community-based care, “there will be some adults with disabilities who need residential care”.

He added: “The demand will rise given the longer life span of persons with disabilities.”

Currently, there are 19 Day Activity Centres, which provide 950 places for disabled adults who need full-day care.

“We will increase this to 29 centres offering about 1,450 places by 2020,” Mr Chan said. The first five additional centres will be set up within the next five years.

Mr Chan reiterated that his ministry will work with voluntary welfare organisations and “invest more resources” to enhance care services for adults with moderate to severe disabilities as part of its Enabling Masterplan 2012-2016.

“Some of our efforts are in (their) nascent phase, while others are more established services being expanded ... We will need time to implement the plans ... We will need the support of the families and the community so that all our efforts put together will give parents and caregivers peace of mind and enable our disabled to be well cared for,” Mr Chan said.

As part of the Government’s support for caregivers, some 600 families with disabled members have benefited from the monthly S$95 foreign domestic worker levy concession, while 320 families have received the monthly S$120 foreign domestic worker grant introduced last October.