Street hawker makes it his mission to help homeless with mental illness

“Danny”, as he calls himself, lives on the streets of Jordan. He did have a room for a while, but now he has to take his pile of cases with all his belongings wherever he goes. They’re covered in tape and plastic to protect them from rainy weather. He’s happy to see hawker Chau Shu-tak and after our chat wants to have lunch with him.

Danny – Chau doesn’t know his full name – is one of an army of homeless people in Hong Kong. More than 25 years ago, Chau, 67, a Catholic, talked with the priests at his church in Kowloon about helping the homeless. The priests went on to help the drug addicts and other homeless, but Chau decided to focus on the homeless with mental illness – the most isolated and transient group.

“They are usually aged between 30 and 50,” Chau says at the McDonald's near to where he has his permanent government-rented green stall selling bedding in Jordan. He estimates there are about 80-90 homeless people with mental illness across Hong Kong, a number that is difficult to track as they tend to be on the move more than other homeless. But over the years he has come to know most of them.

Chau is not keen on becoming “well known” through media attention, but does want the issue of the homeless with mental illness publicised, so that the public becomes more aware of their needs. Five evenings each week, he closes up his bedding stall and walks around the streets of Jordan and other areas to search for and try to help mentally ill homeless.

“It took me a long time to build up a rapport with these people,” he says. Mental illness can induce paranoia and a lack of trust, so while the Social Welfare Department and other government organisations are keen to help and provide support, often the homeless with mental illness don’t wish to go the offices, says Chau. Many no longer have their ID cards, which also makes it difficult to get them into the system and help them.

But when Chau started with his mission 26 years ago, there were no special subsidies, he says. Friendly priests, such as Lee Mo-fan, who was also recently nominated for the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards, would often take in those needing shelter – particularly when rainy weather flooded the areas where they were living on the streets.