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The living allowance was launched in 2014 for low-income single people or households who do not receive CSSA and do not live in public rental housing. Photo: Nora Tam

Government ends living allowance for Hong Kong’s neediest, which helped 59,000 households to tune of HK$512 million this year

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung says those eligible can apply for low-income working family allowance or work incentive transport subsidy

The government has ended a one-off living allowance for the city’s neediest group, dubbed “N-nothings”. The term refers to low-income people who do not own property, live in public rental housing or receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA).

Community Care Fund Task Force chairman Dr Law Chi-kwong told the media that the allowance offered by the public-private fund had been suspended because the original reason for establishing it had disappeared.

He was referring to the removal of waivers for public housing rents in this year’s government budget. The waivers were a contentious relief measure which had been in place since 2008, but drew complaints from the N-nothings, who did not benefit.

The fund and the Commission on Poverty both agreed with the decision, Law said.

The living allowance was launched in 2014. This year, an eligible single person was offered a one-off sum of about HK$4,000. Households of two and five received HK$8,000 and HK$14,000 respectively.

The allowance will not be available next year.

Since the third launch of the programme on January 4, the fund has, as of August 12, distributed the subsidy to about 59,000 eligible households (around 143,000 persons), involving about HK$512 million.

On August 15, the Community Care Fund Secretariat issued a press release stating that applications for the fund’s “third launch of the one-off living subsidy” would close on August 31 and called on those eligible to apply before the deadline. It did not spell out that this would be the last launch of the programme.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said on Sunday that eligible households could apply for the low-income working family allowance, which was launched earlier this year. And singles could still apply for the work incentive transport subsidy.

Sze Lai-shan from the Society for Community Organisation said she did not see a reason to halt the allowance for the N-nothings.

She said non-public housing residents who were not in the government welfare net had extra needs.

“They’ve been paying double in rent compared to public-housing residents for the same living areas. And the queue of public housing applicants has not shortened, while the rents for private and subdivided flats are jumping non-stop,” Sze said.

Additional reporting by Jeffie Lam

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