Commenting on the public and private partnership to help the vulnerable, SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology (Practice) Paulin Straughan said building these relationships within the community through social integration can help to bridge inequality in the nation. "The benefits are fantastic and cover so many of our pain points, like the intergenerational gap and ethnic harmony," she said. From a top-down perspective, identifying those who are vulnerable can be challenging, but carrying out smaller-scale programmes can create a culture of reaching out to one another, which can be replicated throughout Singapore, she added.