Housing anxiety impeding Hong Kong fire trauma recovery: mental health experts
Many Wang Fuk Court residents displaced by the deadly inferno are now living in hotels, youth hostels or transitional housing
The inferno that broke out on November 26 at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court claimed 161 lives, injured 79, and displaced nearly 5,000 residents, most of whom are now living in hotels, youth hostels or transitional housing.
The government said on Friday that social workers had started polling flat owners on their long-term rehousing preferences, with subsidised homes in other districts and returning to the original site as early as 2035 after redevelopment, among nine options. Data collection is expected to finish by late January.
While authorities have taken preliminary steps to address their housing concerns, experts warned that the insecurity posed challenges to psychological intervention, as most victims had little mental headspace to deal with their trauma.
