Transitional flats play pivotal role in easing Hong Kong’s housing crunch as city looks to secure enough land supply, official says
- Short-term policies are necessary to alleviate the plight of underprivileged residents, Undersecretary for Housing Victor Tai says
- Average waiting time for public rental flats is six years, double the government’s pledge of three years
Transitional homes have played a pivotal role in easing Hong Kong’s shortage of public flats while authorities look to secure enough land supply, the deputy housing chief has said.
Undersecretary for Housing Victor Tai Sheung-shing on Wednesday said short-term policies were necessary to alleviate the plight of underprivileged residents. He was officiating a commencement ceremony ahead of the construction of more than 1,000 transitional homes and a community service building in Kam Tin by next year.
“Distant water cannot quench a fire nearby,” Tai said, citing a Chinese proverb. “We need to take forward every short-term measure to ease difficulties faced by public housing applicants and residents living in undesirable environments.”
He added that transitional housing was an important policy that showed cooperation among the community, the business sector and the government.
The policy is a 2018 government initiative to help low-income groups living in poor conditions, such as subdivided flats, who have not been able to move to public housing.
The average waiting time for public rental flats in Hong Kong is six years, double the government’s pledge of three years.
As of August, the government has identified land for 21,700 temporary flats, of which more than 5,000 are currently in use, while the rest are under construction or study.
The government has identified 350 hectares of land for 330,000 public flats to fulfil demand for housing over the next 10 years, but two-thirds of the homes can only be built between 2027 and 2032.