Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong is known for his good deeds. He often shares his experiences of helping those less fortunate.
In a recent video that has gone viral, Sim shares how he helped out a family of seven who were forced to live in a car after their landlord deceived them.
In the video, Sim visits the couple and their five children living in their car. The car has no window panes and a shattered rear windshield. The father explained that they couldn’t afford to repair it, so they covered the holes with plastic sheets and tape.
The father also described their sleeping situation and explained that one of his children would sleep in the car’s boot due to the lack of space.
Meanwhile, in his Facebook post, Sim shared that the father, Hilmi, had travelled from Kelantan to Penang for a livelihood.
He found work as a lorry driver and hoped to bring his family to live with him, but they were evicted after being cheated by a landlord despite paying the rental deposit.
“This marked the beginning of the hardship for this young family.”
“Living out of the car, Hilmi eventually had to quit his job as a lorry driver. But he never gave up and used the same car—his family’s home—to work for Lalamove,” Sim wrote.
Their circumstances resulted in two of the children having to drop out of school.
Sim went on to secure a new home for the family, furnish it, and commit to paying their rent for a year. He also found Hilmi a new lorry driving job and arranged for the children to return to school.
During his visit, Sim provided additional assistance, served the family a meal, and handed over the keys to their new home.
“When I gave Hilmi the keys, he teared up. I reminded him not to despair and said it was time to rebuild their lives.”
“Tonight, I am relieved to know that Hilmi, his wife Yani, and their children no longer have to live under the open sky on a worn-out banner by the roadside,” Sim said.
Watch the video below:
What a lovely gesture!
