How I Became Homeless After Earning More Than $180K A Year

When I was at my peak I spent most of whatever I earned. I got nice clothing. I owned a couple of luxury watches. During the lowest point of my life I was homeless and I never told anyone because I was very embarrassed. I would stay in East Coast Park for a couple of days then I would go to Changi. But I was thinking and questioning myself “What can I do to get myself out of this?” Some people are very good at mathematics. Yeah, I’m not good at mathematics but I’m good at daydreaming. That is my biggest talent, daydreaming. I did a lot of creative work. I like to travel and I like images. I shot everything. I’d go to bus stops, public areas and I would just shoot randomly. From there, I learnt about aesthetics. I didn’t go to film school but, I got lucky. In a way, I met the right people. So I met my (late) Japanese boss, Mori. He tasked me to (photograph) Japanese constructions in Singapore. At that point, I got quite a good income because it’s quite hard to penetrate into Japanese construction (photography). I’d never seen this kind of money before. Financially, I wasn’t taught how to save money. My circle of friends, they came from money they'd go to parties, they had nice cars and so on. I was influenced by my surroundings then I got into watches like Omega and Rolex. At one point, I was living the good life so-called. But life is not a bed of roses. After 8 years, when Mori passed on then things got bad. Then when Covid-19 started everything was disrupted especially the construction industry. I was a freelancer for around a year plus Projects were getting less and less so I didn’t have enough income. That time, I sold everything I didn’t have a camera anymore. I had just enough money to buy a tent. Then with me, just a small little bag. I remember there was one time I called my mum. My mum asked me “Hey, where are you? How are you?” I said, “I’m good and I’m at my friend’s place.” (My mum) was thinking “My son is doing quite good, he is somewhere.” Because I seldom see my mum. I felt like I was a letdown. At that point, I was very hungry and people next to me, they were barbecuing. That was the saddest part of my life. One day, I felt a pain in my ear When I closed my eyes, I could see red, blue and purple. I didn’t know that something was actually happening inside my head. I was warded. I was diagnosed with a stroke. Due to my (health) condition it was very hard for me to apply for a job. When I was hospitalised I met this social worker who connected me to Noel (from Workforce Singapore). My first impression, I thought he was a young man. Because when he (first) spoke to me he sounded jovial and energetic he told me not to worry because he’s there to guide me and help me to revamp my resume which was outdated. Noel: Rafie, in terms of his personality he’s a fighter he’s a survivor so he went to do Grab (food delivery) he went to take on part-time jobs that came his way. This is something that I really admired about him. When he shared with me his situation I was able to empathise with him and I guess that also helped him to move on because he had a listening ear and from there he could work towards getting employment. Rafie: Most of my life, I’m alone I’m on my own. It was like a heaven-sent when Noel called me because at that time I was quite desperate. One thing that I have noticed is he’s grown in terms of his confidence and what I see along the way is that he bounces back faster from adversity. Rafie: With the help of Noel I landed a job. This (job) is actually much needed for me to support myself. The way I’d describe my life is that it’s like a rollercoaster because there have been a lot of ups and a lot of downs. But you have to be kind to yourself and acknowledge your weaknesses and have faith. So I accept my situation now I cannot get back whatever I lost in the past. So what I can do is look ahead and make my life better. Now, I’m looking forward to my upcoming BTO (Build-To-Order flat). I always wanted to have my own home. I’m very happy and I’m looking forward to be living in that house. My name is Rafie and I’m 51 years old. And I’m doing my best in life.