Hong Kong's secretary for home and youth affairs has praised community care teams for “exceeding expectations” as they play a key role in a broader effort to enhance community services and improve residents’ well-being.

In an interview reviewing the administration’s first three years of its five-year term, Alice Mak Mei-kuen said the volunteer-based teams have built a comprehensive district service network through diverse activities.

Since their launch by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in 2022, the 452 teams have grown into a committed force of 5,000 members. If the teams successfully renew their contracts in September following a performance review, they will receive annual funding ranging from HK$1.2 million ($152,870) to HK$1.5 million from a total HK$678 million pool allocated to support neighborhood services over the next two years.

However, concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of the care teams, including the lack of clear key performance indicators, and criticism over activities perceived as low-quality, such as banquets and low-cost elderly tours.

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Addressing these concerns, Mak highlighted the care team’s core value of extensive outreach: They have carried out over 470,000 home visits, provided more than 55,000 basic household maintenance services, and organized over 30,000 community events to date.

“If these services were outsourced, the cost would triple,” she said.

She stressed the irreplaceable role of the care teams, noting that their active community engagement has earned residents’ trust and provided practical, grassroots-level support, achieving “depth and breadth” that cannot be matched by “simply hiring someone to help”.

She shared a recent case in which care team members assisted an elderly woman with a hoarding disorder. Despite owning a four-bedroom apartment, she was found wandering the streets and sleeping in fast food outlets. The care team arranged temporary shelter, and gradually persuaded her to accept their help, including clearing out substantial clutter to restore her home to a livable condition.

This kind of hands-on, personalized support goes beyond what authorities alone can deliver, said Mak.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government plans to further improve public understanding of the care teams and their services, she said.

Meanwhile, since April, district councils — another key component of district governance — have introduced new “mobile meeting room” sessions, allowing residents to meet directly with the councilors without reservation. The sessions have received over 900 inquiries.

Reflecting on her past three years in office, Mak expressed pride in the high level of teamwork, efficiency and morale in district governance.

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The bureau’s flagship program, Youth Link, launched in September 2023, now has over 18,000 members. It offers a variety of activities and events to help young people develop their talents and contribute to the community. Mak said a new hub in Sham Shui Po will open this year to expand the program’s reach.

Highlights of Youth Link’s activities included an exchange program to Jiangxi province’s

Jinggangshan — known as the “cradle of the Chinese revolution” for being the first revolutionary base of the Communist Party of China — and the APEC Voices of the Future 2024 event, held in Lima, Peru, in November.

Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com