The situation of waiting for public housing in Hong Kong is serious. The Hong Kong Association of Community Organizations conducted a survey on the situation of non-elderly singles waiting for public housing. At present, the government only provides more than 10,000 public housing units each year. The average waiting time is about 5.8 years. Non-elderly singles are not counted.
The report pointed out that in 2015, the Housing Authority revised the quota and scoring system, setting a maximum of 2,200 quotas per year for non-elderly singles, but at the same time, the age score was significantly increased, making the applicant's age more suitable for housing allocation. The key factor is that it is almost impossible to successfully allocate a house under the age of 50.
The organization believes that this is a big policy bias, which has caused many singles to be excluded from the three-year waiting list for waiting time for public housing. It urges the authorities to reform the housing allocation system and extend the cash allowance scheme to non-long-term singles. .
The situation of waiting for public housing in Hong Kong is serious. The Hong Kong Association of Community Organizations conducted a survey on the situation of non-elderly singles waiting for public housing. At present, the government only provides more than 10,000 public housing units each year. The average waiting time is about 5.8 years. Non-elderly singles are not counted.
(Photo by Huang Huishan)
The Association of Community Organizations stated that in the past year, it interviewed 150 non-elderly singles living in sub-divided or cubicle houses. The median time that the respondents lived alone was 5 years. 71.5% of the respondents indicated that they lived alone. Since then, they have been living in unsuitable housing. 53.7% of the respondents said they had been waiting for public housing as a non-elderly person. Nearly 70% of the respondents had been waiting for public housing for 3 years or more, and 19.7% said they had been waiting for public housing for 10 years. or above.
For singles who have not yet been waiting for public housing, their housing conditions are now poor.
The survey showed that the median size of their dwelling units was 80 square feet, and 12.4% of the people could only live in places less than 20 square feet.
Even though 54% of the respondents have tried to relocate, only 51.4% of the respondents said that the living environment has improved after the relocation, but at the same time that the rent has also increased after the relocation.
The survey results show that the median age of the non-elderly singles interviewed is 48 years old, the median time of living alone is 5 years, and the longest single living alone is 35 years.
63.3% of the respondents were divorced, 32% were unmarried, and the rest were widowed.
And 71.5% of the interviewees said that they have been living in unsuitable homes since they lived alone, reflecting the serious housing problem.
Mr. Zeng, 50, said that he started to apply for public housing in 2006 when he was only 35 years old. During this period, he had applied as a family and a non-elderly single person, and he has not succeeded in going upstairs for 15 years.
He lamented that the journey of applying for upstairs was very difficult, "from being single to getting married to divorce, but still not waiting for public housing." He felt that the burden of renting a house outside was too high, and the government's subsidy for non-elderly singles was insufficient.
Mr. Zeng, 50, said that he started to apply for public housing in 2006 when he was only 35 years old. During this period, he had applied as a family and a non-elderly single person, and he has not succeeded in going upstairs for 15 years.
(Photo by Huang Huishan)
Mr. Tsang currently lives in a cubicle in Yau Ma Tei, with only one bed 2.5 feet wide and 6 feet long, and the sanitary environment is poor, but the rent is already $1,500.
Under the influence of the epidemic, he can only work two to three days a week on average, resulting in very unstable monthly income, and sometimes two jobs are needed to cope with life.
Mr. Tsang described the scoring system of the Housing Authority as "inhumane" and hoped that the government and the Housing Department would reform the system to resolve the unfair situation for non-elderly singles.
The cash advance allowance scheme covers non-elderly singles
The Social Association stated that the Housing Authority revised its quota and scoring system in 2015, setting a maximum of 2,200 quotas per year for non-elderly singles, but at the same time greatly increasing the age score.
Under the "quota and points system", the age at which non-elderly single persons apply for public housing has become a key factor in the allocation of housing. Younger applicants will continue to be "jumped" by older applicants, leading to There is no way to know the waiting time, and it is almost impossible for non-elderly single applicants under the age of 55 to successfully go upstairs. As a result, they need to live in unsuitable dwellings such as subdivided houses, cubicles or cage homes for a long time.
The Social Association urges the government to build more public housing, substantially increase the quota for singles, and reform the waiting system to respond to actual demand.
Regarding the current cash allowance scheme that does not cover non-elderly singles, the Social Association believes that it ignores the needs of singles and urges the authorities to include non-elderly singles who have been waiting for public housing for three years or more into the plan to reflect the principle of fairness.
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