Project HomeWorks

every home improvement

gives someone a better chance for a brighter tomorrow

About Project HomeWorks | How We Work | Volunteer Sign Up | Our Partners

Housing needs in Singapore

Project HomeWorks: Creating safe & sanitary homes

To the untrained eye, Singapore might look like a idyllic nation with no housing issues. However, a lot of social problems still exist behind the front doors of the homes with we serve. Many of the vulnerable individuals have little financial means and/or social support, as well as mobility issues that make it difficult to care for themselves, let alone their homes. Driven by Habitat's belief that no human being should live in unsafe, unhygienic or undignified environment, Habitat for Humanity Singapore's Project HomeWorks was launched in 2006. We partner social services to identify such vulnerable persons and families who need help to rehabilitate their homes into a safe and sanitary state.

During a Project HomeWorks session, we work with volunteers to make homes safer by decluttering items are pose a fire risk or could cause accidents like falls. Homes are also made cleaner by discarding expired food items and clearing pest-infested furniture to improve the health and well-being of our vulnerable elderly and families.

Move the slider to see the comparison of a rental flat before & after Project HomeWorks

Improving living conditions of vulnerable Singaporeans islandwide

Households Served

3,032 vulnerable elderly, persons with disabilities & low-income families across Singapore

Learn More

Volunteers In Action

16,002 mobilised to improve living conditions across Singapore

Project HomeWorks: How It Works & Who We Serve

Improving

Safety

Clearing fire hazards like cardboard or paper placed near stoves & altars
Discarding clutter & re-organising personal items to avoid trips & falls

Improving

Sanitation

Discarding expired food items to avoid attracting pests
Eliminating pest infestations through a combination of methods including professional fumigation
Replacing pest-infested furniture
General house cleaning
Repainting stained walls, old doors and/or metal gates

Screening Criteria

Profile

Living Situation

Social Issues

Elderly
Those with disabilities
Low-income families

Living alone or with an aged spouse/sibling/flat-mate
One- or two-room rental flats island-wide

(Purchased flats on a case-by-case basis)

Little or no family/social support
Little or no financial support

Case Referrals

We only accept case referrals for Project HomeWorks from official sources:

Government agencies - Ministry of Social and Family Development, Agency for Integrated Care etc.
Cluster support and Senior Activity Centres
Social workers from Family Service Centres, Social Service Offices etc.
Medical social workers from public hospitals, community hospitals etc.

FOR SOCIAL WORKERS:

If you are a social worker from any of these agencies and have a client you'd like to refer to us, please visit our Community Partners page for more details on the referral process. You can also download the referral form at the link below & email us the completed form to info@habitat.org.sg.

Visit our Community Partners Page

Single Unit Project HomeWorks Referral Form

Every dollar you donate will bring decent living conditions to Singaporeans most in need.

$30

helps to buy painting supplies to brighten up a home

$50

helps to buy a full set of cleaning supplies to upkeep a home

$100

helps to buy a new single-size bed frame for a good night's sleep

$250

helps to hire one-time professional pest extermination services

Donate online

Join us as a Project HomeWorks Volunteer!

What to expect:

Every session

Project HomeWorks sessions typically start at 9am and ends approximately at 1-2pm. Session durations may vary.
Minimum age for volunteers is 15 years old on the date of the session.
Volunteers will typically be split into working teams of 4 to 8 people per house.
Habitat staff will conduct a safety briefing at the start of each session.
Scope of work carried out by volunteers include:
- Sorting, de-cluttering & disposal of items (sometimes require heavy lifting)
- Intensive cleaning of rooms, kitchens & toilets
- Re-painting of stained walls & doors, as well as rusty metal gates
- Chaulking (or sealing up) gaps between walls & electrical casings to eliminate bed bug hiding spots
- Setting up basic furniture like metal bed frames & plastic storage boxes

What will be provided

Before each session

Bed bug infestations are common problems in rental estates. To protect our volunteers and effectively eliminate the infestation, Habitat Singapore will engage professional fumigation services about 2 days before a scheduled HomeWorks session.

Essential supplies provided to volunteers
- Full cleaning set
- Full painting set
- Gloves
- Masks
- Habitat Singapore volunteer t-shirt

*Note: As part of our efforts to reduce plastic waste, all volunteers should come prepared with their own water bottles and, if necessary, snacks or light bites.

Volunteer Sign Up

Corporates, Schools, Social Groups & Individuals

For Groups (Corporate / Schools / Social Groups)

Project HomeWorks sessions need to be booked at least 4-5 months in advance for groups.
Maximum team size we can accomodate each session is 50 pax for adult teams & 30 pax for youth teams.
Email us at info@habitat.org.sg to request for available dates. In your email, please include details like your name, your organisation/school, group size and preferred date range.

For Individuals

We welcome individual volunteers as much as we can with open sessions every month. Dates are publicised the month before.
For open sessions, dates and locations are set by Habitat Singapore based on the need on the ground.
Visit our Volunteer Message Board to see upcoming open sessions. Stay updated by subscribing to our mailing list or following us on Facebook & Instagram.

Upcoming Project HomeWorks Sessions for Individual Volunteers

We are ready to welcome you back to Project HomeWorks! Every month, we set aside open sessions for individual volunteers who are interested to join us for Project HomeWorks.

Please read through the information on our registration form carefully for the next steps in confirming your participation, as well as updated safety measures.

Upcoming Sessions:

Following advisories from the Multi-Ministry Taskforce, we will be immediately restricting all sessions to staff and HomeWorks Champions ONLY.

Didn't get a chance to volunteer this month? Subscribe to our mailing list for more updates!

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