Lily is a 44 year-old single mother to two boys—one is 17 and the other is 9 with special needs. She loves cooking and is known as the family chef. To support her family, she works several jobs: helping out at a school canteen with her best friend, running a small home business selling local snacks like curry puffs, and recently selling popular foods on TikTok with her cousin. She also volunteers in her community, often leading the social initiatives.

A tough past that shapes her strengths today

Lily’s life hasn’t been easy. She has faced many serious hardships, including violence, financial abuse, and going to prison. Her second marriage was very difficult—her husband and his family spent all her savings from selling her first home, then kicked her out. She even suffered physical abuse in front of her child, which left deep scars for the family. While Lily was in prison, her youngest son, who has autism, was hurt by her own mother. Her eldest son saw this happen.

Moving forward with creative solutions

Despite everything, Lily shows incredible strength. She used to struggle with drug use – taking drugs helped her to stay awake to produce more frozen food hence earn more income. A friend reported on her and she spent time in prison. Since then, she has worked hard to rebuild her life. She and her family have cultivated a solid savings habit, enabling them to take small trips with their close one every school break. When illness kept her from working for three weeks, she managed to cope financially by using her savings.

To support her family, Lily finds creative ways to earn money that fit her caregiving duties. She sells homemade snacks from home, markets food on TikTok, and takes flexible jobs when her youngest son is at school. She recently left her school canteen job to focus on online food sales where she hopes to earn more and work fewer hours.

Lily always has her eye on the future, thinking about what else she can do to ensure a sustainable income for her family, and maybe purchasing their own flat. A job that contributes to her CPF is what she needs to make this goal a reality.

A strong and stable social support network

Lily has a strong support network, predominantly from an aunt that she and her children refer to as godmother. This mother figure has been a steady source of support, especially because her relationship with her biological mother remains fraught.

She is also part of a network of ex-offenders, which she joined after leaving prison. She has a mentor from this group that she can discuss her future plans with. Lily is also an active public speaker within this network, to encourage others who are struggling. Recently, Lily started a neighbourhood initiative to increase camaraderie during festive seasons, and facilitate mutual aid for those in need.

Despite being socially active, Lily states that she remains careful about who she trusts. This is a lesson she has learned through her tumultuous past.

What’s going well and how it can be better

Lily is self-motivated and resourceful, so a little support can go a long way for her and her family. Coaching may be less needed in her situation as she already has mentors who are dependable and pushes her forward, but other more tangible support can contribute to her wellbeing.