THE HONG KONG HOUSING SOCIETY.
AIMS OBJECTS, etc.
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1. ORIGIN.
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In 1948 a grant of £14,000 was made available to the Hong Kong Council of Social Service from the Lord Mayor of London's Empire Air Raid Distress Fund for the relief of distress among the poor in Hong Kong. The Council believing that housing of the poor constituted a most important and probably the worst- social problem in the Colony, resolved that the grant should be devoted to initiating a housing scheme for the poor.
To this end a Housing Sub-Committee was set up which, with the encouragement of Government, joined forces with a number of non members of the Council interested in the problem to constitute the Hong Kong Housing Society.
2. OBJECTS.
The objects of this Society are based on the Housing Act 1936 and are "the acquiring, building, controlling, improving, managing or facilitating or encouraging the construction or improvement of housing and any associated amenities" for the poorer sections of the community, on an economic but non-profit making basis.
3. CONSTITUTION
The Society at present is not an incorporated body but is an
It is intended however that should association governed by agreed rules. the Society's proposals be approved, it would be incorporated either by the passing of an Ordinance on the lines which it is understood Government has had drafted for the purpose, or as a Company limited by guarantee. It is anticipated that provision would then be made for Government to participate in the administration and financial control of the Society by the appointment of trustees, directors or members.
In view of the magnitude of the problem, the members of the Society believe that action on a large scale to build more houses for the poorer sections of the community, either by Government or with its encouragement, is necessary and inevitable, and should an Improvement Authority or Housing Trust be set up for the purpose, the members would be willing to see the Society amalgamated with such Authority or Trust (provided grants made to it from other than Government sources were refunded).
4. MANAGEMENT.
The conditions which obtain in Hong Kong make it certain that the careful selection of tenants and trained management, which experience of similar schemes elsewhere has shown to be so important, will be essential if the maximum social benefit is to be derived from the housing provided. The members have in mind that investigations by competent case-workers such as those employed by one of the constituent bodies of Experienced the Hong Kong Council of Social Service will be necessary. and trained management can obviate the abuse of facilities and economic loss arising from irrecoverable rent of deterioration of property, and can foster the growth of a community spirit. While the first "pilot" project is not large enough to justify the full-time employment of an expatriate trained manager, arrangements are being made for the Hong Kong Council of Social Service to retain £1,500 of the Lord Mayor's Fund grant (plus the interest earned on the grant) to enable an experienced (Octavia Hill trained) housing manager to be recruited from England for 2-3 years
/During
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