bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Zoe Low

Hong Kong’s leader must include measures in the coming policy address that centre on ramping up construction of public housing, and impose rent controls to improve living conditions for low-income residents, a human rights advocacy group has said.
A survey conducted by the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) found that low-income residents renting 18 sq ft bed spaces were paying more than double the rent per square foot as those living in 160 sq ft private flats.
“As such a developed society, it is quite unreasonable that we do not have rent controls,” SoCO community organiser Sze Lai-shan said. “This means landlords can choose to raise rents to any amounts or kick their tenants out at any time, and we receive reports [of that] almost every week.”
Head of Beijing’s liaison office visits Hong Kong’s needy in rare festival charm offensive
On Thursday, the head of the central government’s liaison office, Luo Huining, visited underprivileged residents in Sham Shui Po, the city’s poorest district. Commentators noted the political significance of the move on National Day, suggesting it showed Beijing was concerned about unemployment and housing problems in Hong Kong, and was sending a message to local officials about doing more to address those core issues.
The Transport and Housing Bureau, meanwhile, said on Sunday that a task force studying tenancy controls on subdivided housing set up three working groups in July to look at the social, economic and legal aspects of implementing rent control.
It said the research by outside experts had started, with the task force expected to submit a final report by the first half of next year. However, it declined to “express any stance” on the matter, saying “tenancy control is a very controversial issue, and there is no consensus in the community so far”.
Previous SoCO surveys have found that more than 80 per cent of the city’s low-income residents have lost their jobs or been underemployed since the coronavirus pandemic started, with the latest survey further highlighting the struggles underprivileged Hongkongers face.
The survey of 439 residents was conducted from mid to late September, with more than 80 per cent of respondents saying they had applied for public housing, and more than 60 per cent having waited for more than three years.

SoCO compared rent rates from September last year to those of August this year, and found that the price per square foot of an 18 sq ft bed space had increased 15 per cent, from about HK$92 to HK$106 (US$14), over the past year. By contrast, a 135 sq ft subdivided flat only saw a 50-cent rise in rent, while a flat between 100 and 159.9 sq ft in a private building registered a HK$2.9 increase per square foot.
Almost half of the respondents reported their landlords had raised their rent within the past three years.
“My landlord suddenly demanded a HK$1,000 increase in my rent,” said a woman surnamed Wong, who declined to give her full name over worries her landlord would recognise her. “I already do not have a steady income and my family has been eating worse so we can make rent.”
HK$500 billion in public works to be ramped up over five years to drag city out of recession
Wong, her husband and their two children had lived in the subdivided unit for five years, with rent starting at HK$3,000 when she signed the first two-year contract. The landlord then demanded a HK$200 and HK$300 increase in rent in each of the subsequent one-year contracts, she said.
Her husband, she added, had applied for public housing in 2012.
“I really hope the government can build more public housing. The environment we live in now is so bad; it leaks, and if it rains at night, we can’t sleep,” she said. “I sometimes borrow money from friends and family to pay rent, otherwise my landlord comes and knocks on the door and harasses us.”
Additionally, the survey found single and two-person households were spending the largest portions of their incomes on rent, at 45 per cent and 50 per cent respectively, despite only making between HK$9,000 and HK$10,000 per month.
Hong Kong may miss private home supply target again
The findings prompted SoCO to call on the government to stop excluding single-person households from its housing and social welfare policies, as well as to impose rent controls on both base rent prices and rent increases to protect the city’s low-income residents.
“Single-person households often sacrifice housing quality so they can save more of their money, but they are not eligible for many types of government subsidies,” SoCO community organiser Angela Lui Yi-shan said.
The main solution was for the government to increase the number of public housing units available, Lui said, but SoCO was growing increasingly concerned as the rate of completion of public housing had slowed over the past two years.
“This means wait times are longer, even for smaller households, so we call on the government to not forget that public housing is the most important policy,” Lui said. “It is where low-income residents will feel the safest.”


Hong Kong needs more public housing, rent controls, NGO says after survey on low-income residents’ struggles

The Society for Community Organisation releases its latest report on the need for rent control and increased public housing on Sunday. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Generic view of high rises at the Kowloon district, in Hong Kong. 22NOV19 SCMP / Nora Tam

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Society


Report by advocacy group SoCO found that some people were paying twice as much per square foot for bed space as those paying for private flats
‘As such a developed society, it is quite unreasonable that we do not have rent controls,’ one SoCO organiser said



The survey by the advocacy group SoCO found that some people were paying twice as much per square foot for bed space as those paying for private flats.


Property policies

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong housing

Hong Kong needs more public housing, rent controls, NGO says after survey on low-income residents’ struggles

Report by advocacy group SoCO found that some people were paying twice as much per square foot for bed space as those paying for private flats ‘As such a developed society, it is quite unreasonable that we do not have rent controls,’ one SoCO organiser said

Report by advocacy group SoCO found that some people were paying twice as much per square foot for bed space as those paying for private flats

‘As such a developed society, it is quite unreasonable that we do not have rent controls,’ one SoCO organiser said