He has held three public homicides, caught live mice and entered the Housing Department. Complaint to the Mutual Committee Receives Dissolution Letter: Communication is broken.

It is reported that more than 1,600 mutual assistance committees of residents will soon need to be dissolved. Some public housing mutual committees recently received letters expressly requesting that they be dissolved in batches before July this year and January next year according to the registration date of the Societies Ordinance. A letter was sent to more than 1,600 mutual committees on Thursday last Thursday (6th) to notify the relevant arrangements.

The current chairman of the Housing Estates Mutual Committee, who assisted in handling the ethics tragedy in Tin Shui Wai and distributed masks to neighbors, lamented that after the dissolution, it would be like tearing down a bridge between residents and government departments. There is too much to talk about, so do it first, 𠵱Family break up, no communication."

The Mutual Affairs Committee, who had acted for the three deceased in the Lunchang tragedy, just wanted to reassure the residents

Tin Shui Wai, once known as the "city of sadness", had a series of tragedies in its early years. Among them, in October 2007, a 36-year-old woman living in a flat in Yiu Fung House, Tin Yiu Estate, was hospitalized because her husband was suffering from nasopharyngeal cancer. She was worried. She was unable to take care of her 12-year-old and 9-year-old children. She left a suicide note in extreme desperation. She tied a pair of children with blankets to the street, and then jumped off the building to both their deaths. Sister Qin, who just joined the Residents' Mutual Aid Committee of Yaofeng Building, is still there. I still remember, "At that time, the neighbors of the unit were so shocked, and many of them moved out, but more neighbors paid attention and asked us if they could help, such as donating money to help the father who is in the middle of a hospital. You know All three people are shocked by the death. We are not a social worker, so we may not be able to help psychologically, but our actions can make everyone feel at ease, and we can focus on the residents’ demands to solve the problem.”

Sister Qin, who is over 60 years old, became the first generation of "indigenous residents" after entering the housing estate in 1992. Because she grew up, she became a member of the Mutual Committee to handle housing estate affairs in 2006, and has been the chairman since 2009. He then reported to the Housing Department at the estate management advisory committee held every two months, "Each building has different demands, my building is mainly a rodent problem, and I have tried gimmick (gimmick) in the neighborhood. Housing companies use mouse cages to catch mice alive, and they go back to the meeting to ask the Housing Department to install rat barriers. Other seats include illegal parking, public area hygiene, unlicensed hawkers, and throwing objects from heights. All of these are based on residents’ feedback and the results obtained by the committee’s attendance. Another feature of the Mutual Committee is that it monitors the efficiency of the management office. "The Mutual Committee will rate the performance of the management office every two months, which will affect the possibility of future appointments, so they will take the initiative to ask me if I have any. If it is to be improved, the supervision or supervision and management department will have direct effect.”

Sister Qin admits that the activity of each mutual committee varies, and some members will take the initiative. Take the Yiu Fung Building Residents' Mutual Aid Committee she served as an example, through her connection with the NGO Food Wise, she can learn from the local cuisine. Stalls and chain group bakeries collect the food they receive at night, and then distribute them to the neighbors of the building according to their needs. "The quantity varies each time, the minimum is more than 10 kilograms, and the maximum is 30 kilograms. Priority will be given to 150 to 200 registered people. Neighborhoods, there are many security guards buried in the head, you can even register the contact number.” The wall panels for the activities inside and outside the mutual committee, the application form for the old age living allowance, the bookstore, and the latest housing consultation meeting documents are all available. , however, some neighborhood committees are basically inactive. "It's asking the neighbors to do it. It's not guaranteed to appear, but because of this, all the mutual committees should be disbanded across the board."

It is difficult for the Fire Prevention Council or the Fight Crime Committee to replace the functions of the Mutual Committee

At present, the mutual committees have successively received letters from the Home Affairs Department. Since the Yaofeng Building Mutual Committee was registered before 2019, it was required to dissolve before July 1, and the application for funding allowances for expenses is limited to declaration before March 31. After that She will not be reimbursed. Sister Qin has already prepared both hands, "There is so much money, it should be unfinished before April. The Mutual Committee raised donations once in the early years. Other electrical appliances such as refrigerators, benches or racks are all second-hand or donated by enthusiastic neighbors, 𠵱 I will ask the neighbors if they want it first, and then make plans if there is any leftovers.”

Government sources claim that the Fire Prevention Committee or the Fight Crime Committee can replace the functions of the Mutual Committee, but she, a former member of the Fight Crime Committee, bluntly stated that the committee only meets once or twice a year, and each time it does not discuss the trivial matters of each building's complaints. Dissolving the mutual committee and taking back the meeting site is like cutting off the bridge between residents and government departments. Distribute daily supplies such as masks or food around Tin Yiu Village.

The SWD has office hours. Neighbors have to go back to work during the day and go back to the housing company at night to ask people to teach people to fill in the application form. Sister Qin goes to the office to teach people after a phone call.

Ng Kun-lim, spokesman for the Alliance for Monitoring Public Housing Estates Welfare Planning

If the mutual committee receives a letter of disbandment without consulting the unpaid volunteer team

Wu Kunlian, a spokesman for the Welfare Planning Alliance for Supervision of Public Housing Estates, said that compared with owners' corporations or management companies, the mutual committees are more like unpaid volunteer teams. Help people to teach people to fill in the application form, and Sister Qin will go to the office to teach people after a phone call.” The Mutual Council in disguise saves the resources that the government needs to spend in housing estates, and the Mutual Council also acts as a community platform for residents to serve voluntarily, not only assisting residents Communicate with the management company to make it easier for neighbors to obtain the latest information from the government, so as to find suitable welfare institutions for help. Now, without any consultation, the Home Affairs Department is suddenly informed that the mutual committee will be dissolved in a short period of time, lamenting that there is no platform. Let residents' opinions be brought into government departments.

"The Mutual Committee meets with the Housing Department on a regular basis to discuss the practice of each building. Is there no Mutual Committee, where individual residents take a sample and express their opinions?"

Hong Kong 01 obtained a letter from the Home Affairs Department. The letter stated that after the Home Affairs Bureau reviewed the functions of the mutual committee, it decided to terminate the mutual committee plan in two stages, and was exempted from the Societies Ordinance according to the latest approval ( Chapter 151) on the date of registration, and dissolve before the specified date.

If the approval date is before January 1, 2019, it must be dissolved before July 1, 2022; if the approval date is on or after January 1, 2019, it must be dissolved before January 1, 2023.

The letter also requires the Mutual Commission to report only the expenses incurred before March 31 this year to apply for the subsidy, and submit it to the Home Affairs Office on April 15 this year, and any expenses incurred after March 31 will not be refunded.

As for the remaining funds and equipment of the mutual committee, it will be allocated to charitable purposes, and all services such as water, electricity, telephone bills, etc. will be terminated. After all income and expenses have been processed, the relevant bank accounts will be cancelled.

Home Affairs Department: There are organizations in different regions to express opinions on behalf of residents

A spokesman for the Home Affairs Department acknowledged that the District Home Affairs Office had written to all the mutual committees last Thursday (6th), explaining the relevant administrative arrangements, and attaching guidelines to explain the precautions for dissolving the mutual committees.

The spokesman explained that the number of mutual committees has continued to decline and has nearly halved to about 1,600 in the past 15 years.

At the same time, the number of mutual committees established continues to be low, with an average of less than 30 new mutual committees being established each year in recent years.

Of the approximately 1,600 mutual committees currently established, approximately 75% are located in public housing estates. The Hong Kong Housing Authority and its property management companies are responsible for estate management.

As for the other 25% of the mutual committees set up in private buildings, nearly half of the buildings have hired property management companies or established other owners' organizations, and will not become "three-nil buildings" after the dissolution of the mutual committees.

The District Building Management Liaison Groups of the District Offices will assist the remaining buildings to set up owners' organizations such as owners' corporations.

In addition, at the district level, different district organisations, including the Zoning Committee, the Fight Crime Committee and the Fire Protection Committee, have been concerned about regional issues such as the living environment and law and order, and have actively expressed residents' opinions to the Government on relevant issues.

A spokesman for the Housing Department responded that about 180 public housing estates under the HA have set up mutual aid committees and mutual committees.

According to the Temporary Permit signed by the Mutual Council and the HA for renting the offices of the Mutual Council, once the Mutual Council is dissolved, its office must be returned to the HA. arrange.

The Hong Kong Clean Campaign Committee was established in 1970 with the aim of promoting hygiene through a comprehensive mobilization approach.

(Picture provided by Gao Tianqiang)

Mutual Commission in the 1970s

According to the data, mutual committees are a product of the colonial era. In the 1970s, in order to strengthen governance, the British Hong Kong government began to organize mutual aid committees in public housing estates and private residential buildings in 1973.

In 1976, then-Hong Kong Governor MacLehose formally proposed the establishment of a mutual aid committee in the "Policy Address".

The Mutual Aid Committee is elected every three years, and the representatives of the households on each floor will elect the chairman, secretary and treasurer from each other.

In order to encourage residents to set up mutual aid committees, the Home Affairs Department provides quarterly subsidy for mutual committees. The Housing Mutual Council also serves as security patrols and fire prevention and crime fighting functions. After the demolition and reconstruction of Ngau Tau Kok Ha Village, the former Ngau Ha Mutual Council's items were preserved for public exhibition to let the public understand the historical changes.

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