REVIEW OF HOUSING CONDITIONS IN HONG KONG
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of HK$2.5 million was made by government to the Society and by the end of 1971 this figure had increased to HK$179 million. Future schemes, however, will be financed from the income derived from rents. Sites are provided by government at one-third the market value. The Society provides homes for families with monthly incomes of up to HK$1,000 and by March 1971 had provided homes for some 110,000 persons (Figure 7).
The Hong Kong Housing Authority which was formed in 1954 has also made a significant contribution towards meeting the colony's housing needs. The Authority operates much on the same lines as the Housing Society and started off with a government loan of HK$50 million. By the end of 1970 loans totalling HK$250 million had been made available by government to the Authority, and for future schemes the income derived from rents is expected to provide the principal source of capital. Families with incomes of between HK$500 and $1,250 per month are eligible to apply for accommodation in Housing Authority estates which, by March 1971, accommodated 194,000 persons. In both Housing Authority and Housing Society estates accommodation is provided on the basis of 35 sq. ft. of usable floor space per adult and half this for children under the age of 10 years.
In quantitative terms, the most notable results in the provision of public housing have been accomplished through the efforts of the government's resettlement programme which got under way in 1954 with the object of clearing land occupied by squatters and making it available for development, largely for housing estates for the families so displaced. The resettlement programme now also provides accommodation for persons made homeless by the demolition of dangerous buildings and by other emergencies. Initially, accommodation in resettlement estates was provided on the basis of 24 sq. ft. of usable floor area per adult and half of this for children. This allocation was increased to 35 sq. ft. in 1968, thus bringing standards in line with those in other types of government and government-aided housing. There are no income limits for households that become eligible for resettlement. By 1971 almost one million persons were living in resettlement estates, which represents about 25% of the total population.
A further type of subsidised housing was introduced by the government in 1961 to provide accommodation upon application