Nicole Seah Instagram – Took some time off baby night duties this week to visit the flats in Bedok South, together with @abdulshariff.sg and team. It was a meaningful house visit that had a couple of residents open up and chat at length about their concerns. @fooseckguan.sg is down with covid and is taking a well deserved rest, hope he gets well soon. A wet market stallholder lamented that she was starting to see a slowdown in her 40-year old business during covid, as many have shifted to buying their produce online. I enquired if she had plans to list her business on food delivery apps but she felt that it was perhaps time to slowly consider retirement. Though it is encouraging to see many stallholders embrace digital initiatives in preparation for the future, it is also challenging for stallholders who are teetering on the edge. Let’s support wet markets where possible. Another resident shared difficulties seeking assistance since he was rendered jobless and wife fell chronically ill over the last two years. We went down the list of financial assistance schemes and asked if he had approached these institutions. Also provided him with the MPS details for his area and encouraged him to bring the right documents to expedite his appeal. Although the channels for help are readily available, many times individuals can be really stuck because they simply don’t know where to begin seeking help and they may also be mentally paralysed by the situation at hand. This underscores the importance of house visits in reaching out to them one by one. Another JC tutor shared her observations on youth mental health and felt that more could be done from a systemic and cultural level to encourage empathy and understanding towards sufferers of mental illness. The stigma is definitely fading as the years go by but there is more to be done. I’m slowly getting back into the old rhythm, but am super thankful to the EC team for consistently holding the forte over the last few months. In the meantime, it will be a juggling act to manage outreach time whilst savouring precious moments with my baby girl.