When will the unemployed and the homeless increase in the epidemic, when will they "say goodbye to subdivided housing" and "say goodbye to the streets"?

During the 2019 Winter Solstice, LCSD personnel and dozens of police officers went to Tung Chau Street Park in Sham Shui Po to drive away the homeless who were sleeping there, and discarded their belongings.

More than a dozen homeless people have filed claims, and the adjudicator has ruled that the homeless party won the case.

During the nearly two-year claim process, two people died and three people lost contact. Wu Weidong, director of the Social Association, said that the "symbolism" of the ruling was very important. He hoped that the incident would prompt the Hong Kong government to set up a homeless-friendly policy. Protect the rights and interests of vulnerable groups.

For street sleepers, beds, quilts, and clothing are already the most important possessions, but photos and souvenirs full of memories are even more priceless.

It is a basic human need to have a tile to cover the head, and society should reflect on why in wealthy cities, there are still countless grassroots living in sub-divided housing, living in cage beds, and even sleeping on the streets.

As long as you know more about the background of the homeless, you also know that clearing and driving away the homeless will not make the homeless "have a home", nor will the street sleeper "disappear", they will only migrate from one part of the city to another corner.

According to a private homeless survey conducted in July last year, there are an estimated 1,532 homeless people in Hong Kong, of which 983 are street sleepers.

According to the SWD's annual survey, the number of registered homeless persons increased by 60% from 896 in 2015/16 to 1,423 in 2019/20.

Unemployment, high rent and getting along with neighbors are the main reasons why respondents become homeless.

About 20% of the respondents lived in the rough for less than three months, and 30% lived in the rough for three to 20 years.

About half of the respondents were sleeping rough for the first time, and 40% were sleeping more than once.

In fact, many homeless people rely on scavenging and reusing old things for a living, and some suffer from health or mental illness, but they have not been properly treated.

Civil society organizations are concerned that the authorities' eviction policy has caused the homeless to retreat to the stairs of buildings, hidden back alleys and remote areas, making it more difficult for service agencies to find and contact them, and failing to provide appropriate and timely services.

In recent years, a number of civil organizations have advocated that Hong Kong refer to Taiwan, Japan and the United Kingdom to implement legislation to assist the homeless, or follow the example of the New York City government to set up a special department to deal with homeless matters.

The government should solve the problem at the institutional level and help the homeless make personal changes, such as helping them improve their life and employment skills.

Eviction is not a good strategy. Social security, employment support, and affordable housing are all support that the government should provide.

In wealthy cities, there are still countless grassroots living in subdivided housing, living in cage beds, and even sleeping on the streets.

For details, please read the 311th issue of "Hong Kong 01" Electronic Weekly Newsletter (April 4, 2022) "

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