‘Someone to talk to’: struggling elderly Hong Kong man shuns proper government flat for cramped ‘coffin home’ because it offers human company
- ‘Coffin’ homes offer a tiny sanctuary for Hong Kong’s disadvantaged who cannot keep up with city’s high-priced property market
- Thousands of people live in units notorious for poor living conditions and lack of privacy
An elderly Hong Kong man has revealed that he would rather live in a 15-square-foot “coffin home” than a larger public housing flat because “at least I have someone to talk to here”.
His distressing story has resonated online after a Hong Kong social enterprise operation that supports the employment of old people – Gingko House – posted his story on Facebook on February 3.
The man, known as Uncle Yeung, in his 70s, said he had lived in a flat sub-divided into a dozen bunk beds in the Tai Kok Tsui district of Kowloon for more than a decade.
Cubicle homes – as such dwellings are known – provide shelter for Hong Kong’s poorest people who are unable to keep pace with the city’s sky-high property market.
They are notorious for poor living conditions and lack of privacy.
Uncle Yeung, however, refuses to apply for a public housing unit, which could provide him with an apartment several times the size because he does not want to live alone.
Uncle Yeung told the volunteers from Gingko House that he missed his mother and little brother, who have both died.
He recalled crying in the street because he did not have enough money to pay for their funerals. “I don’t know why I became like this,” he said.
Uncle Yeung said he used to live in a resettlement estate – a now mostly dismantled early form of public housing in Hong Kong – and missed the close relationship with his neighbours.
As well as talking to a human being afraid of loneliness, Gingko House has also found a job for him.
Uncle Yeung’s story has attracted 2,000 responses online, and Gingko House has also called for the public to recognise the plight of such people.
Online observers posted comments encouraging Uncle Yeung and praised the volunteers’ efforts.
“Loneliness is a big problem for the elderly who live alone, that’s why it is important that volunteers visit them, talk to them, and go to supermarkets with them,” said one.
“I hope more companies can offer jobs to elderly people and help them live confidently and with dignity,” said another.
