What is workfare if not to help those who work?

Very often, we hear of cases in Singapore, where people of lower income found it difficult to make ends meet, and whenever such cases is brought up to the public realm, the standard reply from ministers would be that such social nets do exists, and that it is sufficient. I agree that there needs to be a balance between welfare and encouraging people to work, but sometimes, I think we need to acknowledge that even while some people work hard to make ends meet, it is still not easy. Where then do they turn to help? Perhaps an asian society is one where people are not too keen to be seen asking for help, for many reasons, or even simply a reason of not wanting to trouble others, or feel rather awkward asking. I thought about it, and maybe really, I am really not aware of where to start to go looking for help, what makes it more likely that people who are in genuine need to help will know where to look for? Any ideas?