Hong Kong’s housing minister has pledged to adopt a more “humane” approach to eviction cases involving tenants with mental health issues, following the deaths of a mother and son, and plans to appoint additional medical experts to an appeal panel.
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Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on Tuesday that the department would “seriously review and carefully explore ways to further improve and optimise its work guidelines and procedures, especially for cases involving tenants with special needs.”
“I think in terms of the [appeal panel’s composition], we can look for more people who are committed and have a medical background,” she said during a radio programme.
According to Ho, more than half of the panel members currently have a legal background, with some being social workers.
Ho’s pledge came after the mother and son, both reportedly suffering from mental illnesses, were found to have died by suicide months following an eviction notice for their public rental flat in Tin Shui Wai.
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The mother fell to her death in April, followed by her son, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, in July.