“Two or three years later, they can rent another flat with friends or on their own to lead a self-sufficient life.”

While Yu said there were no hard-and-fast eligibility criteria for tenancy, his target group of young residents would be those with a monthly income of less than HK$12,000.

Such tenants, mostly students or recent graduates, may face inadequate family support or unsuitable living environments. A social worker’s referral will be needed to be considered.

With 12 units in three four-bedroom flats across the city available as Youth Light Homes this month, Yu said he was optimistic the programme could offer 40 homes soon, adding that two more flats would be ready by Lunar New Year in January.

Among the three available flats is a 600 sq ft unit in Wong Tai Sin, formerly a nuns’ quarters for the local arm of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. The Catholic order had previously leased the flat in Wong Tai Sin, as well as another in Chai Wan as “light homes” for single mothers and their children.

Speaking in the well-lit flat, Sister Lucia Mak Yuen-suk of the order said the community spirit among tenants of light homes had touched her, prompting her group to renew its lease of the former nuns’ quarters to Light Be for the programme.

“I was very touched by the mutual aid and supportive spirit among tenants [in Chai Wan], it wasn’t just you living in your room and I in mine,” Mak said.

“We think youth need care, accompaniment and support. Light Be can provide these for them and we hope this can help them regain confidence and independence. We hope the living room and platform in this flat can provide a space for them to collaborate, share with and support each other.”

Psychologist Paul Wong Wai-ching, associate professor of the department of social work and social administration at the University of Hong Kong, said the mental health of young people during the transition from adolescence to adulthood would greatly affect later stages of their lives.

“If during one’s entire adolescence to adulthood, they are fixated on the need for a flat before any forms of development, then they take fewer risks, thinking they can’t do anything before securing a stable living environment,” Wong warned.

“This would limit their imagination, and I think this is one of the biggest disadvantages for young people living in Hong Kong.”

During the three-year tenancy period, residents will be expected to achieve career and financial goals, such as securing stable full-time employment. Light Be will arrange for a case worker with experience in both the corporate world and social service, to meet each tenant at least once a month to check in on their progress and personal well-being.

Besides a single room and a communal living room at the Wong Tai Sin accommodation, tenants will also enjoy an outdoor platform where they can lounge under a parasol or host barbecues with a stove provided by Light Be.

Yu said he hoped to use such areas to organise activities for tenants and foster a communal spirit.

Developer Hongkong Land’s HOME Fund will sponsor all operation costs, from refurbishment and repairs to the hiring of case officers, for the first 40 units of the programme.

Echoing the importance of a stable housing environment, lawmaker Vincent Cheng Wing-shun welcomed the new scheme, saying he hoped to see more of such short-term accommodation for youth, be it public or private, to help them find their footing in society.

“Be it transitional housing or youth hostels, we are hoping for a continuous flow of tenants. We have to strike a balance as the number of units will never be enough as there are more who turn 18 each year,” Cheng said, pointing out a long-term benefit from such schemes would be the successful preparation for youth to enter the private rental market.