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Written by: Commentary Editing Room
2021-04-01 06:50
Last update date: 2021-04-01 06:50
In the 2021 Policy Address, the government stated that it will subsidize non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to rent hotels or guesthouses as transitional housing, allowing citizens who have been waiting for public housing for three years or more to apply for admission, and allowing citizens to rent for at least two years.
The plan will start accepting applications from April 1. The hotel or guesthouse can download the form on the website at that time. After reviewing the application, the task force will draw up a list for NGOs to select suitable hotels or guesthouses as transitional housing. The government will Provide funding for each room.
The government stated that the plan has received a grant of 95 million yuan from the Community Care Fund.
On a two-year basis, the government’s funding ceiling for each hotel or guesthouse room is 133,500 yuan, or about 5,500 yuan per month. The funding will be used to support the overall operating expenses of the NGO project. The funding can be used for small improvements or It is estimated that about 800 suitable rooms will be rented with the purchase of shared equipment, and residents will start to move in as soon as the first half of the year.
Hotels apply for NGO to choose rent
The plan must first be submitted by interested hotels or guesthouses, and even if the hotel/guesthouse is interested in being rented as transitional housing, it needs to be successfully matched with NGOs. Therefore, the formation of the plan still depends on the hotel/guesthouse and The reaction of all NGOs.
But as far as the hotel industry is concerned, although they have been hit by the epidemic, the government plans to require a lease period of at least two years. For example, the tourism functional constituency member Yao Si-wing pointed out in the Legislative Council that some industry is worried about the long lease time. The tourism industry may have recovered by then, so it may adopt a "wait and see" attitude towards the plan.
Furthermore, even if the hotel/guesthouse is willing to apply, it still depends on NGOs, and the government's wishful thinking may not be achieved.
Reporters patrolled many old buildings in Yau Tsim Wong, many of which were converted into sub-district rooms with sundries outside the doors.
(Photo by Deng Boliang)
Citizens who have been waiting for many years of transitional housing must take the initiative
According to statistics released on Wednesday (31st) by the Research Working Group on Subdivided Rental Control, there are about 100,943 subdivided houses in Hong Kong, where more than 226,000 people live, and about half of the units are only about 123 square feet.
As the occupancy rate of hotels in Hong Kong has plummeted in response to the epidemic, letting people who suffer from housing problems live in vacant rooms is a relief.
However, the plan relies on NGOs to subscribe for hotel or guesthouse operations, and the 95 million yuan allocated by the care fund can only provide hundreds of units, whether it is compared with the public housing waiting population of more than 250,000 or the population living in subdivided housing. Looks like a drop in the bucket.
Coupled with the incalculable number of subdivided tenants in industrial buildings, if the government still adopts a passive attitude to wait for the hotel to negotiate with NGOs, citizens who are troubled by housing problems may not even be able to solve their urgent needs.
The Hong Kong government cannot rely on NGOs to participate in subscribed investment to solve the housing problem in Hong Kong. Even though this is only a pilot project, the government should take the lead in participating in operations. Even before Hong Kong can absorb the demand, it should allocate more resources to transitional housing reconstruction projects. on.
Before the epidemic, hotels and guesthouses were already used for residential purposes, and some locations already had sufficient transportation and community facilities. The government can indeed use this as an entry point for transitional housing policies, and then revitalize and rebuild industrial buildings. , And then speed up the resettlement of public housing waiting list, as soon as possible to launch industrial building reconstruction procedures on suitable sites.
The obstruction of the fire escape in the Sanwu Building is also another fire safety concern for the tenants.
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Whether it is renting a hotel or rebuilding an industrial building, it provides temporary solutions for the distressed citizens, and provides time for the government to catch up with the demand in housing supply as soon as possible.
The government must bear in mind that transitional housing is only used for temporary and emergency purposes, and the pace of land resumption and housing construction must not be slowed down.
The subdivided housing problem has plagued Hong Kong for many years, and it is time for the Hong Kong government to give the people a real "home."
The waiting time for public housing is up to 5.7 years, and the Budget cannot be ignored
Transitional housing is just a stopgap measure
Can the government build more transitional housing plans to destroy the ruined school buildings?
New crown pneumonia hotel hotel industry sub-room transitional house 01 view
