Inside a sparsely furnished 100 sq ft public housing flat in Hong Kong’s Hung Shui Kiu, a family of two lives with little more than a bunk bed, television stand, sofa and some donated clothes racks.
This flat is the temporary home of 69-year-old resident surnamed Ho and her daughter. They were among the 5,000 Wang Fuk Court residents displaced by an inferno that ravaged the Tai Po estate on November 26 last year, killing 168 people.
The pair had refrained from settling into the accommodation they had called home for the past six months because they were expecting to buy a new place after selling their flat to the government under a buy-back plan.
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“Buying [furniture] costs money and we don’t know how long we will live here,” said Ho, who preferred not to use her full name.
On a recent day, however, a team of contractors, staff and volunteers from Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong visited Ho, bringing new furniture, including a shoe cabinet, foldable desk and wardrobe.
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Watching the frenzy of installation and everyone’s hard work, Ho fought back tears.