Man lived without utilities in cluttered Chinatown flat for over 10 years: 'I walk in the rain and dry in the sun'

For more than a decade, an elderly Chinatown resident purportedly had no access to electricity, water and gas. 

With bags of sundries piled high within his one-room rental flat, his nights were spent along the stretch of corridor outside the unit. 

His circumstances were shared online on Dec 23 by non-profit platform Keeping Hope Alive, which assisted in decluttering the flat. 

The volunteer group's Facebook post noted how time seemed to have stopped 10 years ago for the man in his 80s, who had a 2015 calendar hung on a wall.

With water supply cut off, the man, surnamed Wong, told volunteers he doesn't shower and only washes his face at a public toilet. He also had no shoes and could not recall when he last brushed his teeth. 

He has been living in the flat since 1979 and pays $35 a month in rental, reported Shin Min Daily News. 

It wasn't reported why his utilities were cut off. 

Asked about his clothes, he reportedly replied: "I walk in the rain and dry in the sun." 

'Breeding ground of flying roaches, lizards'

"He sleeps on the corridor floor just outside his unit. Neighbour press nose walk pass his unit super fast (sic)," wrote Keeping Hope Alive. 

The rental unit was described as "a breeding ground of flying cockroaches, lizards, centipedes and silverfish", bare of necessities such as a bed, stove and kettle. 

Keeping Hope Alive founder Fion Phua told Shin Min Daily News that volunteers conducting door-to-door visits had seen the man sitting outside his flat. He initially refused help, including food and drinks offered by the volunteers.

The report stated that the elderly man has been receiving long-term assistance from the authorities, with volunteers delivering meals. He had been unwilling to let others intervene in his living habits. 

Phua said they spent a considerable amount of time talking to him before he accepted their help. 

The elderly man told Shin Min he used to work as a coffee shop stall assistant. He also said that he had accumulated the items in his home over time and wanted to clear them but did not know who to seek help from. 

Six-hour clean-up effort

In their Facebook post, Keeping Hope Alive said the clean-up effort took six hours. 

"What finally appeared was not furniture, not belongings… Just an elderly man skin and bones standing there with a very big smile. 

"That smile hurts more than the sight of poverty. Because it tells us how long he has been forgotten." 

The volunteer group urged the public to keep a lookout for their neighbours: "Progress means nothing if we allow our elders to survive like this." 

[[nid:725568]]

lim.kewei@asiaone.com