Nearly 10,000 underprivileged Hongkongers living in tiny subdivided or inadequate flats have applied to stay in the 4,400 homes available in the government’s “light public housing” scheme, with a priority period set to end on Monday.
Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin on Sunday described the response as “overwhelming” and urged eligible residents to submit any last-minute applications to the programme, which has been hailed by the chief executive as a key measure to improve living conditions for those waiting for a spot in public housing.
Ho revealed the government had received more than 9,600 applications for the first batch of temporary flats provided in the two projects at Yau Pok Road in Yuen Long and Choi Hing Road in Ngau Tau Kok.
Successful applicants can expect to move into the 4,400 homes from the first quarter of next year.
Ho also visited residents in Tsuen Wan on Saturday to explain details of the programme, reassuring them not to worry about moving to another district.
“I have visited people who have only ever lived in the urban areas and had never lived in the New Territories. They moved to Yuen Long with big worries at first but then found it was easy to adapt,” Ho said in a Facebook post, citing her previous exchanges with those living in transitional housing.
“In about one or two weeks, with the help and support of management staff and neighbours, the residents found that it was easy to adapt and daily life and travel were very convenient too,” she added.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced in his 2022 policy address that his administration would build about 30,000 light public housing flats by 2027-28, with standardised, simple design. The homes are built using a modular integrated construction approach or through converting existing government properties.
The scheme aims to fill the short-term gap of public housing supply and improve the living conditions and quality of life of people living in subdivided units or inadequate housing.
Applicants for the flats must have been on the waiting list for conventional public housing for at least three years.
Housing authorities in May said the average waiting time for a Hong Kong public rental flat was 5.7 years.
The first batch of applications for the light public housing scheme opened on June 24, with forms submitted by Monday to be handled first.
Authorities will also accept applications afterwards, but will only process them once the priority batch has been handled.
Undersecretary for Housing Victor Tai Sheung-shing also spoke to residents over the weekend, visiting Yuen Long where he called on eliglble Hongkongers to apply.
The Yuen Long project will provide 2,150 flats, with rents ranging from about HK$740 to HK$1,420 a month. The site will be served by buses and minibuses, with about a 15-minute travel time to Yuen Long town centre or Sheung Shui.
The project in Ngau Tau Kok will offer 2,290 homes, and rents will be set between about HK$1,110 and HK$2,650.
