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Harminder Singh

A North Point resident is demanding the government act on the appalling conditions of Tong Shui Road footbridge where street sleepers have taken up residence.
Jim Francis said the stored possessions, litter and bird droppings on the North Point footbridge have made attempting to cross the walkway hazardous.
“You can’t cross it. Nobody crosses it - it’s a no-go area,” he said.
Hong Kong’s shame: homeless numbers soar amid high rents and squalid living conditions
Francis has lived in the district for four years and noticed the unsafe conditions when he attempted to cross the bridge one day, but was unable to due to the debris blocking his path.
Francis approached the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) last month and supplied them with photos of the obstructions on the footbridge. He also approached the Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) about the bird droppings.
But he said his attempts to have the issue addressed have exposed a bureaucratic tangle which means there is no unified response to the issue of street sleepers.
He said the FEHD sidestepped responsibility when he raised the problem, telling him that enforcement was difficult because it involved multiple departments.
“No one will take the responsibility or do something about it,” Francis said.
Francis stressed he was not against the street sleepers who had set up bedding on the footbridge, but wanted the area to be clean and safe for ordinary pedestrians.
He acknowledged the plight of the homeless in Hong Kong: “In a town of such wealth, [street sleepers] should not exist.”
According to the Social Welfare Department, there are five street sleepers at the Tong Shui Road footbridge.
When the Post visited the site, the presence of makeshift rooms covered in tarp or cloth, a variety of furniture and bags filled with possessions were visible. There was also rubbish strewn about and a congregation of pigeons which had created a large amount of droppings.
A Food and Environmental Hygiene Department spokesman said “problems arising from street sleepers” fell within the responsibility of various departments.
He said the department’s primary concern was to ensure proper environmental hygiene. This included daily sweeping of the footbridge, and “joint departmental tidy-up operations” conducted several times a year.
An Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department spokesman said it had collected 20 samples of bird droppings over the past year at the site and all tested negative for avian influenza virus.
The spokesman reminded the public not to feed wild birds, as that was “the most effective measure to the problem”.
Tong Shui Road footbridge is not the only footbridge where the homeless have set up residence in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong street sleepers claim compensation after belongings are allegedly dumped in government raid
In April last year, a fire destroyed several subdivided rooms street sleepers had constructed on a footbridge near Yen Chow Street in Sham Shui Po.
In Mong Kok, a footbridge above Waterloo Road - adjacent to the East Rail MTR line - is also occupied by street sleepers, along with their possessions and furniture. Makeshift wood rooms with locks have been constructed on the footbridge.
The situation highlights the growing number and predicament of street sleepers in Hong Kong. Across the city, there are 904 registered street sleepers - a near three-fold increase since 2009.
A Social Welfare Department spokesman said the government was “highly concerned about the plight of street sleepers”. He added that “the subject is a complex social problem” and involved various bureaus, departments, welfare organisations and concern groups.
The department currently supports several NGOs which provide street sleepers with assistance and services, including helping them get off the streets.
However, Salvation Army community relations director Simon Wong Kwok-ching said the financial assistance the homeless receive is not enough to afford proper accommodation.
“With HK$1,700 what can you get?” he said. Available options are staying at an NGO dormitory, or a bed - usually a bunk bed - for private rental.
Wong pointed out providing a bed did not bring an end to the problem, with some of the city’s homeless unable to cope with rules and regulations, hygiene problems, and lack of storage space for their belongings in paid accommodation so they choose to live on the streets.
Others who have relayed to the Salvation Army that they would like to be housed in public housing are then thwarted by the long waiting time for availability, or find the location means travel to and from employment is expensive and onerous.
Wong said most street sleepers work manual labour or odd jobs to earn money. One place of employment for some street sleepers is at the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market.
“If you move them to Tuen Mun or Tin Shui Wai, how can they come to work there?” he said, adding that the commute would cost too much.
The average cost for a bus ride from Tin Shui Wai to Causeway Bay is HK$21.40 one way, with an average journey time of 90 minutes.


How Hong Kong’s homeless live on footbridge with clutter, litter and bird droppings

Litter and debris blocking Tong Shui Road footbridge in North Point. Photo: Nora Tam

Huge amounts of litter and debris blocking Tong Shui Road footbridge in North Point. 10JUN16 SCMP/ Nora Tam

Hong Kong’s shame: homeless numbers soar amid high rents and squalid living conditions 

Homeless people getting their shelter under a bridge next to Tung Chau Street in Sham Shui Po. 08JAN16 SCMP/ Felix Wong

There are far more homeless people in Hong Kong these days as rents soar even for poor housing. Photo: Felix Wong

Hong Kong street sleepers claim compensation after belongings are allegedly dumped in government raid

(Left to Right) Soco's Ng wai-tung, homeless people Zhou Xingwei, Kwok Fuk-chuen and Limbu Rajesh attend Small Claims Tribunal over FEHD officers throwing away their belongings without notice at Small Claims Tribunal, Wanchai, 11JAN16, SCMP/Dickson Lee

(From left ) Community organiser Ng Wai-tung and street sleepers Zhou Xingwei, Kwok Fuk-chuen and Limbu Rajesh are at the Small Claims Tribunal for a hearing over FEHD officers allegedly throwing away their belongings without proper notice. Photo: Dickson Lee

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Appalling conditions of a footbridge used by street sleepers have highlighted convoluted government response


How Hong Kong’s homeless live on footbridge with clutter, litter and bird droppings

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Appalling conditions of a footbridge used by street sleepers have highlighted convoluted government response

Appalling conditions of a footbridge used by street sleepers have highlighted convoluted government response