Singapore has an ageing population and roughly one-third of persons with disabilities currently enrolled in Day Activity Centres (DACs) or Sheltered Workshops (SWs), have at least one caregiver aged 65 years and above.

Ageing caregivers, along with smaller family units, may face the challenges in meeting the daily needs of persons with disabilities at home as their own health decline.

Furthermore, persons with disabilities and their parents have also expressed uncertainty about the longer-term living arrangements, and hope that their children would be able to continue living independently and participating in the community for as long as possible.

However, there is currently limited living options available in the community for persons with disabilities with support needs who are unable to be cared for by their families. The current model of care offered by the Adult Disability (AD) hostels and AD Homes as residential facilities are to provide support and oversight to ensure the well-being and safety of clients. However, their structured programming also limits the extent to which their clients can freely engage in the community. This may not be the best model for persons with disabilities with low to moderate support needs. 

Hence, ELP and HSP were conceptualised as new community living programmes to support persons with disabilities with low to moderate support needs whose caregivers are no longer able to care for them, so that they can continue living independently within the community for as long as possible. By delaying and keeping institutionalisation into residential facilities as a last resort, more persons with disabilities may enjoy a higher quality of life alongside others in the community.