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Housing Policy
The Government's policy is to assist all who live in substandard accommodation by the provision, through the Housing Authority, of subsidised public housing./ Demand at present exceeds supply and there is a waiting list of over 136,000 applicants and an average waiting period for housing of six to seven years. within this general policy priority for rehousing is given to persons who are rendered homeless as a result of fire, natural disaster, or of buildings becoming dangerous, and those whose dwellings are cleared for development. There is a continuing temptation for people to try and jwap the queue.
Policy on Boat-Squatters
The problem is principally one of control. Kost boat squatters already resettled have obtained public housing on the clearance of boats to make way for reclamation work. No effective steps have been taken to prevent their replacement in new typhoon shelters by other squatters on other vessels. Housing and Marine Departments agree that continued clearance without subsequent control would result only in an open-ended commitment, and that what is required 2B a first step to a solution is the "freezing' of the situation by means of survey and registration, followed by stringent control.
In the interim it is recognised that some boats, as a result of age, will deteriorate and become uninhabitable, and it has been arranged that boats may be inspected by invitation to ascertain their sea-worthiness. If a boat is classified by Marine Department as in imminent danger of foundering, its occupants are offered temporary rehousing in transit centres pending screening for public housing. Since this system was introduced in November, 1977, 922 persons from 111 boats have been rehoused.
Living conditions on the boats are, in most cases, no better or worse than those in squatter areas and older tenement buildings. There is nothing to prevent boat dwellers from applying for public housing in the normal way, but beyond this no special priority can be given to them over other applicants, except where there is a proven risk to life. In this context it should be noted that there are still a large number of persons living in squatter huts on, or in the shadow of, slopes classified as dangerous by geotechnical experts. It is considered that these have priority over boats which with care can he kept afloat and which are occupied in most cases by relatively new arrivals to Hong Kong who for unknown reasons have not applied for public housing through normal channels. (Only about half had applied for public housing before the Housing Department arranged a blanket distribution of forms in mid 1970).
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