Charity’s proposed shelter for homeless Hongkongers rejected by government

Hong Kong authorities have rejected a charity’s request to build a shelter for homeless residents on land in a middle-class neighbourhood, with the group questioning whether the refusal could stigmatise people who are living rough.

In a reply to the Post on Tuesday, the District Lands Office of Kowloon West confirmed that it had declined the application from ImpactHK the day before, citing a “failure to obtain policy support” after the body consulted various departments and stakeholders.

The non-profit organisation sought to build a shelter and ancillary offices at the intersection of Sham Mong Road and Sham Shing Road in Lai Chi Kok.

ImpactHK, which was established in 2017, expressed its disappointment with the decision but hoped to use the opportunity to engage with the government on how they could collaborate.

“It is very clear that they do not want those individuals that we support as an organisation in their neighbourhood. The sad part is that government officials do not understand who these individuals are that they are rejecting and stereotyping,” Jeff Rotmeyer, ImpactHK’s founder and CEO, told the Post.

“To me, these people are Hongkongers and they should not be hidden or pushed away or told that they are less. I find it disheartening to see people look at these individuals as if they are not normal.”