Hong Kong lawmakers urge rethink of housing development policy for elderly
Lawmakers say government must reassess scheme to develop public rental flats for elderly by balancing costs and providing services, not just homes
Hong Kong lawmakers have called for a rethink of a government scheme to develop homes for the elderly, days after the city’s second-largest public housing provider revealed it would stop building homes targeting older residents for the next decade.
Lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo of the Legislative Council’s housing panel said on Monday that the government had not been proactive enough in formulating a comprehensive housing policy for the elderly, urging authorities to provide new incentives for housing aimed at the demographic.
“We’re not just talking about whether to build new flats, but also the services that make the Senior Citizen Residences Scheme attractive. These services need all sorts of incentives to stimulate the creation of a new market,” Lam said on a radio programme.
The Housing Society revealed over the weekend that it would not be developing any new projects under the scheme in the coming 10 years.
Society chairman Ling Kar-kan said on Saturday: “Solely relying on us to provide elderly-focused housing cannot resolve the housing demand among the elderly. This is because it is impossible to build millions of units.”
Ling instead proposed integrating elderly-friendly elements in other new flats. He said the society would repurpose 800 flats initially planned to be built under the scheme as part of two coming redevelopment projects: phase two of Kwun Tong Garden Estate and Ming Wah Dai Ha in Shau Kei Wan.
Launched in 1999, the scheme aims to provide long-term rental housing to elderly residents. Tenants are granted a “lease-for-life” arrangement after paying a one-off entry lump sum. Thereafter, they are only required to pay monthly management, service and government fees.