Providing advice, support and shelter.
Mission:
Star Shelter was founded in 1999 and is the only crisis center in Singapore that is not connected to any religious organization. Star Shelter provides a safe, temporary refuge for women and their children who are victims of family violence. Unlike other shelters, they help everyone, regardless of race, language, creed, or religion. They work to empower the victims to take control of their lives and assist them in rebuilding their lives free from violence. They provide several different services. These include providing meals and lodging, trauma and crisis counseling, case management, and legal advice. Through the “Rebuild” Program, Star Shelter also provides a one-time financial aid to assist victims to pay for transport expenses while looking for employment as well as a no-interest home loan, which enables victims to set up a new home.
Why It Matters:
Star Shelter provides an essential service, which is in short supply in our community. While the government does provide a grant to help defray some of the Shelter’s costs, the remaining amount must be raised by SCWO (Singapore Council of Women s Organisations) (Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations) through fundraising projects each year, and the goodwill of various individual donors. Irrespective of the education and maturity of an established country like Singapore, unfortunately, many women still suffer from violence in the home.
Many of these women are driven into isolation from friends and family and have no one and nowhere to turn to. Giving exposure to organisations such as Star Shelter means that as a community, we can continue to build awareness in the market so anyone in need can readily access and know they have the support to do so.
“Everyone should feel safe in their homes, always. I think the work that Star Shelter is doing for women and their children to take us one step closer to this idea is so important.” – Jennifer Wu, VP Human Resources, APAC.