Hong Kong families to get extra cash boost as government sets up new HK$1.1 billion scheme to support those struggling to get by

Name: Coronavirus: Hong Kong to ease social-distancing rules as city sees record 8.9% economic slump
Uploaded: 2020-06-29T08:11:52.000Z
Duration: 2 min 2 s
Description: Coronavirus: Hong Kong to ease social-distancing rules as city sees record 8.9% economic slump

Labour secretary Dr Law Chi-kwong announces plan to support low-income households that do not qualify for social security or public housing

Applications for subsidy will open on Thursday and government expects some 272,000 people to be eligible

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Some low-income households in Hong Kong will benefit from the new government scheme. Photo: Winson Wong

Phila Siu

Published: 4:11pm, 29 Jun 2020Updated: 10:57pm, 29 Jun 2020

About 272,000 low-income residents in Hong Kong will benefit from a new government handout, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong announced on Monday.

The HK$1.1 billion (US$142 million) scheme has been designed to help the city’s so-called “N-nothing” families, a group which typically includes those who earn slightly too much to qualify for public housing and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), but are still struggling to get by.

Applications open on Thursday and it is expected that the money will be doled out in about two months.

Under the scheme, a single person, living alone, would be entitled to a subsidy of HK$4,500, subject to meeting certain criteria. The amount then increases depending on the number of people in a family, with HK$9,000 for two, HK$12,500 for three, HK$14,500 for four, and a family of five or more eligible for HK$15,500.

“About HK$1.1 billion has been reserved for this scheme. About 105,500 households, comprising 272,000 people, will benefit,” Law said.

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Coronavirus: Hong Kong to ease social-distancing rules as city sees record 8.9% economic slump

Hong Kong has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The city’s economy shrank by 8.9 per cent year on year in the first quarter, the worst decline on record. The unemployment rate also climbed to its highest level in 15 years, hitting 5.9 per cent.