Poor in Hong Kong: life is hardest for the elderly, jobless and single-parent families living on a pittance
- Experts say current help measures aren’t enough as 2018 figures show 1.4 million living below poverty line
- Elderly poor population swells to 516,600 as retirees with no income struggle
Staying at home to take care of her autistic son, Liu says her family of four survives on her husband’s unstable income of HK$10,000 a month from part-time work.
That is less than half of the HK$21,000 (US$2,700) Hong Kong sets as the poverty line for a four-person household.
Liu, 39, her husband, 47, and their two children – a 19-year-old daughter and six-year-old son – live in a 300 sq ft public rental housing flat in Kowloon Bay with a monthly rent of HK$2,000.
Asking to be identified only by her surname, Liu, who is originally from mainland China, married her Hongkonger husband in 2001 and moved to the city in 2008. Their daughter was born the year they married, and their son was born in 2013.
Life changed for Liu after her son was born. Aside from being autistic, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and is deaf in his left ear, but can hear with his right ear after cochlear implant surgery.
The former waitress quit her job four years ago to take care of the boy. His medical expenses have further strained the family’s meagre income.