Homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore

Authors:  Ng Kok Hoe, Jeyda Simren Sekhon Atac

Between February and April 2021, researchers from the Social Inclusion Project carried out Singapore’s second nationwide homelessness street count. This was the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic and a time when homelessness spiked in many countries due to an increase in unemployment, poverty and evictions. The aim of the study was to capture the state of homelessness in Singapore in this exceptionally challenging time. As a follow-up to the first nationwide street count in 2019, it draws methodological lessons from the earlier study and extends the line of enquiry through three research strategies in 2021:

1. Nationwide street count using the same cumulative count method as in 2019.

2. Combination of administrative data on temporary shelter occupancy with street count figures to produce, for the first time, an  estimate of the total homeless population.

3. In-depth qualitative interviews with shelter residents to document long-term experiences of homelessness and housing insecurities during the pandemic.

Findings from street count and shelter data

Despite intense state intervention and massive economic disruptions during the  pandemic, the scale of homelessness did not change significantly between 2019 and 2021. The combined street homeless and temporary shelter populations declined by just 7 per cent, from 1,115 before COVID-19 to 1,036 in 2021.

However, the form of homelessness had changed, because primary homelessness declined and secondary homelessness rose. The number of street homeless persons dropped 41 per cent, from 1,050 in 2019 to 616 in 2021. Meanwhile, occupancy in temporary shelters increased more than six-fold, from 65 to 420.



Street homeless figures are based on nationwide street counts conducted in 2019 and 2021.  Shelter figures are averages of month-end occupancy numbers in each period provided by MSF

Considering strict regulations about residing indoors during the circuit breaker and greater public watchfulness about people sleeping in common spaces, the sharp decline in street homelessness was expected. Meanwhile, growing shelter occupancy reflects the dramatic initial expansion of shelter capacity in response to large numbers of homeless people seeking help around the time of the circuit breaker, followed by a steady rate of exits from the shelters after that period.

Analysis of the street count data found that the situation in 2021 was comparable to 2019 in several ways:

•   Street homelessness remained geographically widespread and was observed in all 25 districts covered by the study

•  There was close correlation in the geographical distribution of street homelessness. Higher-count districts in 2019 continued to account for more homeless persons in 2021.

•  More street homeless persons were found in larger, older and poorer neighborhoods.

•  The most common profile was older Chinese men.

The main deviation is a de-concentration of homelessness from the City district to residential districts. Although the City district still accounted for the largest number of homeless persons, its share of the total fell from 23 per cent in 2019 to 12 per cent in 2021. Instead of commercial buildings, homeless persons were also more likely to be found in locations within residential neighbourhoods.

Geographical distribution of street homeless persons in 2021

Read more on other findings by the team:

•    Delving into the lived experiences of Singapore’s Homeless