Our Milestones

1950s

OurMilestones-1 Our Milestones

Mrs. Catharine Eng Neo Thomas, a trained nurse and wife of the principal of St. Andrew’s School, Mr. Francis Thomas, started a free clinic in Potong Pasir to serve the needy villagers.

1967

August 31

August 31

Mr. Francis Thomas was entrusted by the Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral to set up a pro tem committee in developing the Anglican welfare work.

 

In 1967, the Anglican Welfare Council (renamed Singapore Anglican Welfare Council in 1977) was inaugurated with the mission to “carry out community services and welfare work, amongst the elderly, the poor, the destitute and the aged sick, according to the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1968

February 20

February 20

Schools Counselling Services (SCS), pioneered by Mr. Francis Thomas, became the core service of Anglican Welfare Council.

August 3

August 3

The first Welfare Centre Building was built in St. Margaret’s School at Sophia Road.

1980

March 15

March 15

St. Gregory’s Hall was officially opened in a parsonage of the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator to provide day care and counselling services to the elderly, victims of family crisis, and recovering drug addicts.

1986

August 11

August 11

Whampoa Care Centre (WCC) started out as a residential refuge for women and children experiencing family crisis. A co-located sheltered workshop equipped the women with new skills to be economically self-sufficient.

 

In 1987, the Council discovered that many of the residents’ problems stemmed from undiagnosed mental health issues. WCC decided to shift its focus to psychiatric care to help them more effectively.

 

1987

January

January

Guided by Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven”, Singapore Anglican Welfare Council adopted a new logo and motto: “Counsel, Restore, Equip” to emphasise its mission to serve the downtrodden.

1992

February 17

February 17

Elliot Road Care Centre (ERCC) opened its doors to women who needed refuge for psychiatric rehabilitation.

 

Female clients with mental health issues were transferred from Whampoa Care Centre to ERCC for more effective rehabilitation in a women-only facility.

May 30

May 30

East Coast Care Centre (ECCC) catered its services to men who sought refuge from crisis. Male clients with mental health issues were received from Whampoa Care Centre to improve the facilitation of their rehabilitative care.

 

Something Old Something New, a social enterprise thrift shop, was started in ECCC to provide vocational training for persons recovering from mental health issues.

 

In 1997, ECCC was converted into a family crisis shelter to meet rising demand. Male clients who required psychiatric rehabilitation were transferred to Balestier Care Centre.

1996

April 20

April 20

Kallang Care Centre (KCC) took over the ministry of crisis refuge when Whampoa Care Centre closed in 1995. In addition to residential care, services were expanded to include after-school care and counselling.

 

In May 2000, the Land Office took back KCC premises and the refuge shelter was merged with East Coast Care Centre.

November 23

November 23

Balestier Care Centre was a re-establishment of a former state-run psychiatric rehabilitation facility, the Mandalay Day Centre. It provided residential and day care services to persons with mental health issues.

2002

November 9

November 9

Hougang Care Centre (HCC) was set up under the appointment of the Ministry of Health to rehabilitate long-staying patients from View Road Hospital.

 

Today, HCC, renamed Anglican Care Centre (Hougang) in 2018, continues to help clients work towards independent living and community reintegration through a modified clubhouse concept. Residential and day rehabilitation programmes are designed to support them in their recovery journey.

2004

September 11

September 11

St. George’s Place took up the baton of crisis refuge ministry upon the closure of East Coast Care Centre.

October 29

October 29

With the expansion of the Anglican community services, it was timely to revise the constitution and strengthen its governing structure. Singapore Anglican Welfare Council was restructured and renamed Singapore Anglican Community Services to improve synergy with parishes and deliver more services to those in need.

 

It was officially launched by Mr. S R Nathan, President of Singapore, in 2006.

2005

April 9

April 9

Simei Care Centre (SCC) was the first and only purpose-built psychiatric care centre in Singapore. Modelled after an enterprise concept, the Centre’s facilities are designed for a comprehensive and effective recovery journey with residential and day rehabilitation services, social enterprises, a sheltered workshop and a clubhouse.

 

With the setting up of SCC, services from Elliot Road and Balestier Care Centres were consolidated for greater synergy.  

 

SCC was officially opened by Mr. S R Nathan, President of Singapore, in 2005.

 

In 2018, SCC was renamed to Anglican Care Centre (Simei).

June 1

June 1

Shalom Seniors Activity Centre was started by Holy Trinity Parish in 1995.

 

In 2005, it was upgraded to PEACE-Connect Neighbourhood Link (PCNL) and was the first concerted effort between Parishes and Singapore Anglican Community Services to serve the needy. PCNL served the elderly residents of Kampong Glam to help them age in place. PCNL adopted a new service model in operation as PEACE-Connect Senior Activity Centre (PCsac) from 2010 onwards.

 

In 2015, the Ministry of Social and Family Development appointed PCsac’s expansion as PEACE-Connect Cluster Operator to serve a greater pool of seniors through Cluster Support Services, Senior Activity Centres, and the Senior Group Home.

2007

April 24

April 24

CITY Community Services was initiated by St. Andrew’s Cathedral in 2005 to meet the needs of disadvantaged primary school children and nurture good character in them with enrichment courses and after-school activities.

 

Synergy with parishes was enhanced when CITY partnered with Singapore Anglican Community Services in 2007 to expand their service avenues to more needy children.

2009

March

March

Going the second mile, St. George’s Place was relocated to SACS Family Care Centre (FCC), a new and larger compound to serve more families in need.

 

In 2018, FCC was renamed to Anglican Family Centre.

October

October

SACS was the first mental health organisation in Asia to be accredited the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

 

Since 2009, SACS Psychiatric Services has attained the three-year accreditation for the fifth time in 2021.

2010

March 27

March 27

Since 2006, the Community Rehabilitation and Support Services (CRSS) programme has made counselling, training and support services accessible to persons with mental health issues and their caregivers at their place of residence.

 

The first CRSS centre was officially opened in Bukit Batok, together with the launch of Employment Support Services, a job matching, placement and support services for persons with mental health issues.

 

Today, CRSS (Bukit Batok), renamed Anglican Care Centre (Bukit Batok) in 2018, continues to journey with persons with mental health issues through community intervention and day rehabilitation services.

2011

July 25

July 25

Community Rehabilitation and Support Services (Pasir Ris) was officially opened in 2011. Renamed Anglican Care Centre (Pasir Ris) in 2018, the centre reaches out to persons with mental health issues and their caregivers through community intervention and day rehabilitation services.

2012

October 5

October 5

Community Rehabilitation and Support Services (Yishun) was officially opened in 2012. Renamed Anglican Care Centre (Yishun) in 2018, the centre provides community intervention and day rehabilitation services to persons with mental health issues and their caregivers.

2016

OurMilestones-23 Our Milestones

SACS Psychiatric Services consolidated its various employment programmes for greater synergy. The Integrated Employment Services comprises the Employment Training Course (ETC), Employment Internship Programme (EIP), Employment Support Services (ESS), Employee Assistance Programme (EAP+) and Social Enterprises.

July 30

July 30

Singapore Anglican Community Services was appointed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development in 2015 to run several senior services for our pioneer generation to age well in the community.

 

SACS Cluster Operator (Jurong East), renamed Anglican Cluster Operator (Jurong East) in 2018, looks after the social welfare and mental well-being of elderly living in Jurong East and Bukit Batok through Cluster Support and Senior Group Home services.

 

SACS Senior Centre (Golden Orchid), renamed Anglican Senior Centre (Jurong West) in 2018, a senior activity centre in Jurong West, encourages the elderly to be actively engaged in their community. Something Old Something New, a social enterprise thrift shop, is co-located with the Centre.

 

The two services were officially launched in 2016.

November 26

November 26

SACS Senior Centre (Floral Spring), a senior activity centre in Yishun, was officially launched. The centre, renamed Anglican Senior Centre (Yishun) in 2018, is co-located with a social enterprise thrift shop, Something Old Something New.

2017

OurMilestones-26 Our Milestones

Singapore Anglican Community Services commemorates 50 years of serving the community with the theme “Let Your Light Shine”.

let your light shine

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

October 13

October 13

The Ministry of Health appointed Singapore Anglican Community Services to operate Anglican Care Centre (Farrer Park), a transitional accommodation for persons in mental health recovery. It is the first of such a facility for adults and youths in Singapore.

2018

January

January

SACS continues to strengthen its mission in caring for Singapore’s ageing population. SACS Centre (HillV2) was remodelled into Anglican Senior Centre (Hillview).

 

The senior care centre provides general and enhanced dementia day care, maintenance day care, and community rehabilitation services for elderly residing in the neighbourhood.

April

April

Anglican Senior Centre (Tampines), co-located with a social enterprise thrift shop, Something Old Something New, offers community spaces for elderly living in the neighbourhood to be engaged in various social-recreational activities. Basic support and befriending services are available at the centre.

August

August

Anglican Senior Centre (Woodlands), SACS’ fourth senior activity centre, provides a place for seniors living in the neighbourhood to be mentally, socially and physically active.

 

Something Old Something New, a social enterprise thrift shop, is co-located with the Centre.

2019

February 11

February 11

With the support of St. Andrew’s Mission Hospital, SACS started operating St. Andrew’s Nursing Home (Taman Jurong), a 290-bed nursing home, at Taman Jurong on 11 February 2019.

2022

April 1

SACS Youth Services started to provide early therapeutic interventions for the younger generation aged between 13-24 years old, who grapple with mental health-related issues in their developmental stage of life.

December 3

December 3

Seeking to foster a community of care to help seniors maintain an active lifestyle as they age, SACS opened its fifth senior activity centre, Anglican Senior Centre (Havelock)

 

The senior care centre seeks to be an avenue for seniors to stay active while building a healthy social network.

2023

April 1

April 1

SACS Psychiatric Services became part of the CREST Youth (Youth Community Outreach Team) Programme. CREST Youth SACS, a programme under the Community Mental Health Masterplan developed by the Agency for Integrated Care and Ministry of Health, serves youths in the North-East region.