HOUSING
A non-development clearance programme was devised on the advice of the Geotechnical Engineering Office of the Civil Engineering Department. Some 3 400 persons living in the squatter huts on slopes vulnerable to landslips were provided with either permanent or temporary housing elsewhere, according to their eligibilities. The Advance Allocation System was tried out in some clearance operations. The scheme was successful and widely accepted by tenants. Its feasibility is under further study with a view to extending it to all clearance operations.
Temporary Housing
Temporary Housing provides accommodation for people who are rendered homeless by clearance, fires and natural disasters but are not eligible for permanent public housing. Since early 1996, this type of accommodation has been renamed Interim Housing (IH). The aim is to emphasise to the residents the transitional nature of the accommodation.
There are two types of IH: the traditional low-rise timber structures and the multi- storey concrete blocks (converted from the existing blocks in the older estates). At the end of the year, the territory had 21 interim housing areas housing 29 100 people.
An accelerated programme to clear all pre-1984 interim housing areas is in progress. During the year, 13 interim housing areas were cleared.
The Housing Authority plans to retain old housing blocks to provide the bulk of IH in the long term. It is also experimenting with a new design of IH using prefabricated building systems.
Transit Centres
Transit Centres provide free emergency shelters for the homeless and victims of fires and natural disasters, pending assessment of their eligibility for rehousing to permanent or temporary housing. The Housing Department manages six transit centres with a capacity of 930 people.
Cottage Areas
Cottage Areas, an early form of public housing, are being phased out gradually. They comprise single-storey structures built of stone or less-permanent materials on hillsides. During the year, the largest cottage area, Tiu Keng Leng Cottage Area, was cleared for permanent development. At the end of the year, there were five cottage areas in the territory, housing 3 420 people.
Community Activities
During the
year, the Housing Authority actively involved the community as partners in promoting the concept of Care and Share among its tenants.
Apart from the extension of the Estate Management Advisory Committee Scheme to all estates, the authority has launched a territory-wide campaign to increase civic- mindedness among primary and secondary students. The campaign featured competitions to create slogans, drawings and cartoon figures, and the nomination of student ambassadors. Other activities organised included mobile exhibitions and a
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