Residents of Shek Lei Interim Housing Waiting for an Average of 6.6 Years for Public Housing, the Group Urges the First Public Housing Allocation by July

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Written by: Zhang Jiamin

2021-02-08 13:16

The last update date: 2021-02-08 13:16

The government will demolish the Shek Lei Interim House before the end of next year and rebuild it into a public housing project. The Transport and Housing Bureau said earlier that 329 households were involved, and 79 of them had to move to the Po Tin Interim House in Tuen Mun.

The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Lady MacLehose Centre and the Kwai Tsing District Council Interim Housing and Subdivided Housing Affairs Working Group conducted an earlier investigation and found that 50% of the interim housing residents interviewed in Shek Lei moved in due to fire and law enforcement actions, and 9 Residents of Interim Housing in Shek Lei interviewed have waited for public housing for an average of 6.6 years.

Some residents are worried that they will be arranged to live in the remote Tuen Mun Po Tin Transition House. The group suggested that the first public housing allocation should be arranged a year and a half before the clearance, and the old public housing units should be reserved in the urban area for transit in the future house.

The Housing Authority has decided to empty the Shek Lei transit housing by the end of 2022, and the land will be used for public housing development.

(Information Picture/Photo by Huang Weimin)

90% of households are waiting for public housing

The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Lady MacLehose Centre and the Kwai Tsing District Council Interim Housing and Subdivided Housing Affairs Working Group organized the "Kwai Tsing District Interim Housing and Subdivided Housing Status Study and Support Work Plan". From December last year to January this year The questionnaire interviewed 102 residents of Shek Lei's transit housing, and found that 90.2% of the residents were waiting for public housing, with an average waiting period of 6.6 years and a median of 7 years.

The survey found that 76.4% of the households have lived in the Shek Lei transit house for 7 years or more, and 53.9% of the households have lived in the transit house due to fire, demolition or law enforcement actions, including the Tsuen Wan Erpi Square Fire and Lao The impact of the demolition of illegal housing estates, Lei Muk Shue squatters, Sham Shui Po and Tai Kok Tsui.

Most of the residents of Shek Lei Interim Housing have lived in Shek Lei's extended urban area for a long time, and hope to live in the urban area or in the extended urban area in the future.

Some residents of Shek Lei Interim Housing who are not eligible for public housing allocation need to move to Baotian Interim Housing (Photo/Photo by Huang Weimin)

Most residents do not want to move to Baotian

Since some residents who are not eligible for public housing allocation need to move to Po Tin Interim Housing, 93% of interim housing residents do not consider moving to Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.

Resident Mr. Lu said that before moving into the Shili Interim House, he had been arranged to live in the Baotian Interim House, but because he had to go to work in Lantian early in the morning, he was finally arranged to move into the Shili Interim House.

He pointed out that he did not want to move to Baotian in the future because he was worried about traffic jams and other factors.

The group suggested that the first public housing allocation should be arranged a year and a half before the clearing, that is, in July this year, so that residents can have enough time to wait for the next two housing allocation arrangements after the first allocation is refused. It can also help adapt to transitional arrangements such as new communities.

They also suggested that the Housing Department allocate public housing in the same district to families with children, the elderly, and disabled members.

The Chairman of the Kwai Tsing District Council's Working Group on Transition Housing and Subdivided Housing Affairs, Lam Siu-fai, said that the Housing Department had stated that it would hold briefing sessions for residents. However, in response to the delay of the epidemic, the Housing Department urged the Housing Department to arrange as soon as possible.

(Data Picture/Photo by Lai Wenxin)

District Councillor urges Housing Department to hold briefing as soon as possible

In response to the fact that many residents have not received any notification and related information, Lam Siu-fai, Chairman of the Working Group on Transit Housing and Sub-divided Housing Affairs of the Kwai Tsing District Council, pointed out that the Housing Department had indicated that it would hold briefing sessions for residents, but in response to the delay of the epidemic, the Housing Department was urged to respond. Arrange as soon as possible and carry out follow-up actions such as registration. "Residents get a word from their families." Wu Kunlian, director of the group and community work department of the Lady MacLehose Center of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, pointed out that in response to the government, three urban squatter areas will be developed. In addition, there will be enforcement actions against industrial buildings and other illegal construction units, and it is believed that it is necessary to reserve transit housing units in the urban area.

He suggested that the government can use vacant housing resources, including vacant units in high-age public housing estates, as transit housing.

According to an earlier statement by the Transport and Housing Bureau, the government initially assessed that 329 households were affected. Among them, 103 households were exempted from the "Comprehensive Means Test" when they moved into the Shek Lei Interim Housing according to the policy at that time. 103 households were eligible for direct resettlement Live in public housing units; under the Housing Authority’s "early allocation plan", 147 households who qualify for early allocation of public housing units can be allocated public housing units before the clearing date, up to 12 months in advance; the remaining 79 The households will be resettled in a transit house in Po Tin, Tuen Mun.

The Housing Authority approves the permanent rent-free plan for the elderly and spacious tenants. Shek Lei Transition House will be vacated by the end of 2022

Policy Address | Shek Lei Transit House plans to be emptied in December 2022 for singles and family allowances plus 12%

Shili transit houses will be demolished at the end of next year, and 79 families will be moved to Baotian transit houses.

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