HOUSING
An elderly person who prefers to live alone can apply under the Single Elderly Persons Priority Scheme, and be allocated a public rental unit within two to three and a half years. Two or more elderly persons who are willing to live together may apply under the Elderly Persons Priority Scheme under which flats are allocated within two years.
The Senior Citizen Residence Scheme is an innovative housing scheme for the elderly under which the HKHS will build community-based housing developments comprising self-contained units with specialised support facilities and services for 'lease-for-life' to middle-income senior citizens. Two sites in Tseung Kwan O and Jordan Valley have been allocated to the HKHS. The scheme will be launched at the end of 2001.
To enable the private sector to make the fullest possible contribution towards meeting the demand for housing, a pilot scheme to encourage the private sector to provide affordable housing to elderly persons is being actively developed.
Non-elderly Single Persons
In 1999, the Home Starter Loan Scheme and the Mortgage Subsidy Scheme were extended to cover non-elderly single persons. In addition, the HA increased the supply of public rental housing for this group through the conversion of surplus flats; allocated self-contained public rental housing flats to eligible single persons displaced by government clearance operations; and allowed single persons to buy HOS or PSPS flats or to join the Home Purchase Loan Scheme.
Interim Housing
Interim housing provides accommodation to people who are rendered homeless for one reason or another but are not eligible for permanent public housing. In addition to multi-storey vertical interim housing (converted from redeveloped blocks in some older estates) and newly built prefabricated interim housing blocks, a new form of vertical interim housing is being built in Tuen Mun and Tin Shui Wai. These high-rise blocks will meet the continuing, long-term need for this type of accommodation.
Transit centres provide free emergency shelter for the homeless, including victims of fire and natural disasters, pending assessment of their eligibility for rehousing to permanent or interim housing. The Housing Department manages three transit centres with a capacity of 510 people.
Cottage Areas and Squatters
Cottage Areas consist of mainly single-storey structures built of stone or less permanent materials on hillsides. There are five cottage areas in Hong Kong housing about 2 800 people. These will be cleared by 2001.
The numbers of squatters and squatter structures have fallen in recent years as a result of rehousing and clearance programmes. There are now about 20 600 squatters in the urban area and about 207 900 squatters in the New Territories. Squatter control is maintained by regular patrols and hut-to-hut checks. About 1 700 illegal structures and extensions were demolished during the year.
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