The lease term of "Nanchang 220", Hong Kong's first composite social housing estate, expired on Friday (23rd), and most households who were unable to "upstairs" to public housing had to find new homes.
A Xian (pseudonym), a former resident of "Mai Refugees", once shrunk into a home for street sleepers covered with psyllids. Shortly after moving into "Nanchang 220", he was worried that he would be forced to move out due to the short rental period. Back on the streets again.
Although she was arranged to live in a social housing in the same district after the lease expired, she had to worry about living a wandering life after the three-year residency expired, so she did not dare to look forward to life.
After waiting for public housing for many years, she believes that although transitional housing can provide grassroots with a temporary foothold, it cannot solve the housing problem, so that the grassroots life without roots continues to wander. Only by "going upstairs" can they live on: "Wait, wait, wait, I don't know how long I can wait, and I can't wait until I'm a hundred years old. You should bring me to the public housing first?"
As soon as she walked into Ah Xian's unit, she could see the sheets covered with My Melody cartoon dolls. She said a little shyly, "I love Melody!" At the age of 55, Ah Xian is still childish, and her humble wish is I have a warm home, and I am satisfied after finishing work to buy food and go home to "boil soup and stir-fry a dish".
Mai refugee's home for street sleepers is unbearable to be bitten by lice every night
She does not deny that she was a "Mai refugee", and she also huddled in a homeless home full of psyllids. She still remembers her life a few years ago: "I live in a row at the home for the homeless and get up early in the morning. I will cook you out of the street, and tell you to go back and live in a limited time, and you will be bitten all night and you will not be able to sleep, there are lice.” She said that being bitten by psyllids all over her body “is no good meat”, and there is no air-conditioning in the hot summer. , so that she once again fled to McDonald's "asylum", and after living for half a year, Ah Xian had to find another place to live.
+6
Five or six years ago, with the help of social workers, she rented a cheap bed-bed hotel, but the rent increased every few months, from the initial $3,000 to $4,600.
As an outsourced car wash worker at the police station, her monthly salary is only 9,900 yuan, and the seemingly low rent has wiped out nearly half of her labor.
Extended reading of the series:
Transitional housing | The first project, Nanchang 220, ended, a family of three still did not go upstairs: the policy failed. Transitional housing | The success rate of the first project was less than 30%.
With the assistance of social workers two years ago, she was finally arranged to live in "Nanchang 220". She admitted that she felt like winning the Mark Six Lottery, and she was excited to buy a home to set up a hard-won nest.
I'm very lucky if I mess with the beads, there are some people who really can't mess (the beads), I have to live in a separate room, take the stairs, what a messy place, and there are mice, I'm scared!
A Xian, a former resident of Nanchang 220
The first "combined social housing" in Hong Kong, "Nanchang 220", which was built by Henderson Land on loan to HKCSS, will be occupied in 2020. The lease term is two years and will expire in September this year.
(provided by the Society)
The excitement only lasted for a few months, and the lease for this ideal home was only two years. Soon after she moved in, she began to worry about being forced to evict, or living on the street again. During this period, she applied for a transitional housing on the adjacent Qinzhou Street, but was not selected. Seeing the neighbors move out one by one, she was even more worried, and she couldn't sleep all day long.
Received monthly rent but asked for 5820 more than half of labor
Although she was finally placed in the social housing "Dehui III" in the same district in March this year, the rent was 5,820 yuan, nearly 1.5 times more expensive than the more than 2,400 yuan of "Nanchang 220", but the unit was nearly half as small, and only one Very small toilet and double bed, the rent has exceeded half of the monthly labor.
She lamented that she had no other choice, so she had to give away the furniture that she had chosen one by one that day.
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From a small dwelling over 100 feet in "Nanchang 200", to a community room as cold as a hotel, Ah Xian did not dare to have expectations for life.
Looking down at the TV, taking a nap, and having to go back to work the next day, it seems like it's a no-brainer.
A Xian, a former resident of Nanchang 220
Although the new house is free from lice and the environment is clean, but in Ah Xian, she only thinks she lives in a hotel and loses her "own housing enterprise". She is even more worried that her residence period will expire in three years and she will start a new wandering career.
It is her only dream to be allocated a public housing and to have her own comfort zone, "At least there is a public housing, you can at least be free, you can do whatever you want, you can cook food and soup. I don’t want to live in such a place for a long time, the best way is to go to public housing, and rent flat, so I don’t have to pay (no more) expensive rent.”
I don't know when my dream will come true, but it will be five or six after the year it is buried, so "how many 10 years in life?" This statement is a fact. Go to Mi to go to the nursing home, and pass away.
A Xian, a former resident of Nanchang 220
▼"Nanchang 220" Demonstration Unit▼
Ah Xian applied for public housing many years ago, hoping to have a comfortable place in his later years, but until now, the "blue card" with the waiting number has been lost due to repeated moves. Every year has eight years.” The way upstairs is still far away.
There is some disappointment, and so on and so on, I don't know how long I can wait, I don't know how to wait until a hundred years old, you will bring me to the public housing first?
A Xian, a former resident of Nanchang 220
In Ah Xian's mind, transitional housing further reveals the hardship of the grass-roots class in "going upstairs", adding to the feeling of fear all day long. He bluntly stated that the transitional housing policy has limited help, and the grassroots can escape hell only by successfully "going upstairs".
There are so many transitional houses that can't help these people, and it is going to be demolished all day long. We are always worried that we will live in transitional houses again. In the long run, will you (the government) help me? what about?
I hope the officials can get more public housing for us as soon as possible.
A Xian, a former resident of Nanchang 220
Transitional housing tenants are pregnant and forced to move to Nanchang 220. The lease term will be full. The tenants worry about the upstairs: about 10% of the tenants of the transitional housing Nanchang 220 will go upstairs to help other tenants apply for the lease term of other transitional housing transitional housing “Nanchang 220”. About 60 households will not be assigned the assistance of the Public Housing Association to relocate social housing when the expiry of next year
