Hong Kong developer Sino Group to give all children at new transitional housing project HK$5,000 a year
- 85 flats under 200 sq ft will be ready next year, providing temporary homes for small families
- Sino Group foundation hopes cash gift will allow children to attend classes, develop talents
Hong Kong developer Sino Group will give HK$5,000 (US$639) a year to every child moving into its first transitional housing project, to encourage youngsters from low-income families to develop their talents or attend special interest classes.
The Wellness Lodge in Sham Tseng will have 85 flats ranging in size from 146 sq ft to 197 sq ft and is expected to be completed by the end of next year. It will provide temporary homes for small families of up to three people, who are in the long queue for public housing.
The project, which Sino Group is developing in partnership with the non-profit Pumen Foundation, has been approved by the government with construction funding of HK$48 million.
The developer is leasing its land to the non-profit at a nominal rent of HK$1 and will be involved in designing the project.
Through its Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, the developer will sponsor the cash gift and activities for children who move in.
Every child will receive HK$5,000 per academic year and it will be renewable, subject to criteria to be decided.
“We hope these resources can give them more choices in personal development, by attending interest classes or learning a musical instrument,” said Ivan Yau, Sino Group’s general manager for community affairs.
“Many parents hope to provide more activities for their children to discover their talents, but sometimes they are constrained by the inability to pay tuition fees.”
The project will have an indoor children’s playground and a communal farming area, and provide free science and arts-related interest classes for youngsters.
Tenants will sign a two-year contract, renewable depending on their needs. The developer and the NGO will follow government guidelines for setting the rent level and selecting tenants.
Hong Kong families face average wait of 6 years for public housing
Lee Yuet-man, chairman of the Pumen Foundation, which will manage the project when it is completed, expected it to attract small families, including single-parent households.
Lee is a former district councillor of Yuen Long in the New Territories. Since its inception in 2016, the Pumen Foundation was has been engaged in recycling projects and delivering pandemic supplies in the area.
Daryl Ng, deputy chairman of Sino Group and director of the Ng Teng Fong Foundation, named after his late grandfather, added: “By providing a happy and healthy home at Wellness Lodge, we hope underprivileged children and their families can enjoy a safe, healthy and green lifestyle during their stay here.”
The transitional housing scheme introduced by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in 2018 aims to provide up to 20,000 temporary flats to those living in tiny subdivided units while waiting years for public housing.
By the end of last year, the waiting time for general public housing applicants had risen to six years – the longest in more than two decades and double the government’s pledge of three years.
Besides Sino Group, other Hong Kong developers such as Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land Development and New World Development have also loaned land at a nominal rent for transitional housing projects.
The companies made the decision in response to Beijing’s call for local property tycoons to help solve the housing crisis in Hong Kong.
