Charity helps make the hell of cubicle life more bearable for families
Suitcases are piled on top of the fridge and clothes hang from every available nook in the small, stuffy room that Tsui and her two children have called home for almost three years now.
Suitcases are piled on top of the fridge and clothes hang from every available nook in the small, stuffy room that Tsui and her two children have called home for almost three years now.
"It's so undignified to cry in front of the children ... sometimes I hide in the bathroom and sob. They can still hear me, though."
It costs the family HK$3,800 per month to rent the bare, 80 sq ft windowless room - one of six carved out of a tenement flat in Sham Shui Po.
It has a tiny bathroom and a stove perched on a small shelf that acts as the kitchen. The old bunk bed is broken. Pans filled with Chinese buns for the children's breakfast lie on the floor.
Tsui and her two children moved into the tiny space to escape family violence, which is also why she did not want to use her full name.
They are typical of the desperate families being helped by the NGO Project Space, manager Cheung So-han said.
A small NGO with just three staff, Project Space relies on volunteers to provide home assistance services to those living in subdivided flats, cubicles, rooftop huts and public housing estate units.
Project Space started in 2013, and has helped 20 families so far. Cheung said they hope to help another 50 families, with funding obtained through Operation Santa Claus, the annual fundraising campaign by the and RTHK.
"Many of these individuals living in exceedingly cramped spaces often develop emotional issues. There is nowhere to go, no personal space and the wait for public housing - which is their only hope - is a long and winding road," Cheung said.
Tsui would probably have to wait for "another while" before she can get public housing, said Cheung. In the meantime, she will have to find some way to survive in the city's costly, substandard property market.
"We often discuss with tenants about what they need the most, and we try to provide it for them," Cheung said.
For most, the service involves simply organising and lifting heavy objects - especially for the elderly - or debugging the often dirty flats. But helpers with Project space also help install extra shelves, fix broken furniture, redesign spaces - anything to make living in cramped homes more bearable.
Each family is allocated around HK$1,000 for home repairs, but Cheung said the renovation workers would often throw in free services or quote cheaper prices. "They try to make that HK$1,000 stretch as far as possible."
How you can give
- Donate online by credit card at osc.scmp.com/donate
- Donate at an ATM or any branch of HSBC (account number 502-676299-001 for SCMP Charities Ltd - Operation Santa Claus)
- You can donate with a cheque payable to "SCMP Charities Ltd - Operation Santa Claus" and mail it to: Operation Santa Claus, Morning Post Centre, 22 Dai Fat Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Po, New Territories.
- Donations of HK$100 or more are tax-deductible. If you would like a tax receipt, please send the completed donation form and original bank receipt to the address above.
- Please call 26808159 or e-mail [email protected] with any inquiries, or visit us online at osc.scmp.com
