Community Care Fund expands poverty giveaways

Up to 150,000 more people who are "inadequately housed" will qualify for cash subsidies from the Community Care Fund under a scheme that had previously helped only people living in subsidised flats.

But the fund will not help people living in subdivided industrial buildings as these are "definitely illegal", Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said.

The expanded subsidy scheme was one of four new measures announced yesterday by Lam in her capacity as chairwoman of the Commission on Poverty.

People in squatter housing and other premises deemed inadequate will now qualify for lump sums of between HK$3,500 and HK$10,000 depending on family size. About 59,000 people in 26,000 families have been helped by the scheme so far.

Lam said the commission was very sympathetic to those living in industrial buildings, but the law had to be enforced as their living places were "definitely illegal".

"There are major differences in terms of policy [between subdivided flats in residential buildings and industrial buildings], and the government does not tolerate residential uses in industrial buildings."