HONG KONG - Legislators approved the appropriation of HK$5 billion (US$643 million) on Friday to fund non-profit organizations, or NGOs, in building transitional homes to house Hong Kong’s low-income families on the waiting list for public housing.
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Speaking to the Finance Committee of Legislative Council, Under Secretary for Transport and Housing Raymond So Wai-man said the fund will be distributed to more than 10 NGOs as start-up capital for building homes that can last at least three years. Projects that last under three years will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The fund will be distributed to more than 10 NGOs as start-up capital for building homes that can last at least three years
Since 2017, the government has supported several such transitional housing projects by NGOs, providing a total of about 300 units.
As of January, there are a total of 760 transitional housing units provided by NGOs, according to a paper submit to the Legislative Council. The government has set the target of providing 15,000 transitional flats within the next three years.
The proposed funding scheme was supported by 35 of the 46 lawmakers, while some of them questioned whether the administration was “outsourcing” its responsibilities to volunteer groups. They also expressed concern about the NGO’s capability in ensuring the projects can be completed in time and at the proper quality.
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So said that in addition to financial aid, the government will also be engaged in those projects by simplifying administrative procedures and hiring professional consultants to offer technical aid so that the NGOs can be more “flexible” and “creative” in doing their jobs.
NGOs will have to follow the government instructions, such as giving priority to residents having been on the public housing waiting list for over three years and reporting to the authorities annually, he added.
Lawmaker Wilson Or Chong-shing, member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, welcomed the funding scheme, while urging the government to directly participate in the building of transitional housing for the underprivileged.
Or also suggested lowering the rent cap for transitional housing units from the current 40 percent of the household income to 25 percent.
