3 new Hong Kong ‘community living rooms’ for people living in tiny subdivided flats to open
- The new resources, all in Kowloon, are expected to cater to more than 1,000 households living in cramped conditions in To Kwa Wan, Hung Hom and Nam Cheong
- Chief Secretary Eric Chan appeals to more developers to chip in and donate property so more can be opened
Three new Hong Kong “community living rooms” designed to help people from subdivided flats are to open.
The government said on Thursday the new resources were expected to cater to more than 1,000 households living in cramped conditions in To Kwa Wan, Hung Hom and Nam Cheong, all in Kowloon.
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city’s No 2 official, appealed to more developers to donate property to support the community living rooms programme after a meeting with the Commission on Poverty.
“Counting the existing community living room in Sham Shui Po, the four rooms could altogether benefit 1,750 subdivided flat households, with about 270,000 attendances every year,” Chan said.
“We aim to set up a community living room in every district where subdivided flat households are concentrated and call on more developers to join us in the initiative, benefiting more underprivileged families.”
A survey published last year revealed that the average size of a subdivided flat in the city in 2021 was just 118 sq ft.
The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals was selected to operate the 6,900 sq ft To Kwa Wan site, donated by China Resources, a major conglomerate.
The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council will operate the one in Hung Hom, donated by developer Sino Group, and which measures 3,200 sq ft.
The third venue, 2,200 sq ft in Nam Cheong, was donated by property developer Henderson Land Group, and will be run by charitable organisation the St James’ Settlement.
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The first community living room was launched in Sham Shui Po last December to help ease the pressure of life in a confined environment through the provision of extra space to do homework, shower, cook and eat.
The premises, also donated by the Sino Group, was expected to benefit 500 families.
Chan said the new living rooms will be launched this year, supported by the Community Care Fund.
At least 220,000 people in the city live in subdivided flats – homes carved up by separating a property into tiny cubicles that often present health and fire safety hazards.
Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, last month praised the community living room scheme after he visited the Sham Shui Po site and said the government was “moving in the right direction”.
Hong Kong’s first government ‘community living room’ opens to subdivided flat tenants
Another government poverty relief programme is an after school care scheme which allows children to be looked after by non-governmental organisations on school premises.
Chan said after a visit to a Tsuen Wan primary school that is involved in the scheme that the service reduced the burden of childcare on parents, which helped them to go out to work.
He appealed to other families in need to sign up for the programme.
The service, launched last year, now covers more than 50 schools in Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tong, Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long and looks after about 3,000 children.
