WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1984
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SPECIAL HOUSING QUOTA FOR ELDERLY GROUPS
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MANY OF THE SO-CALLED CAGED MEN✦ ARE ELDERLY SINGLE PERSON S LIVING IN PRIVATE BOARDING HOUSES AND THEY CAN GET PUBLIC HOUSING THROUGH VARIOUS PRIORITY SCHEMES IF THEY CHOOSE TO APPLY.
THIS WAS STATED TODAY BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, THE HON DONALD LIAO IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY DR THE HON HO KAM-FAI, IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
AMONG THESE PRIORITY SCHEMES, HE SAID, A SPECIAL QUOTA WAS ALLOCATED EACH YEAR FOR ELDERLY PERSONS APPLYING IN GROUPS OF THREE FOR PUBLIC HOUSING.
*THE ANNUAL QUOTA HAS BEEN INCREASED FROM 300 FLATS IN 1980 TO 800 IN 1983.
+MANY ELDERLY PERSONS HAVE ALSO OBTAINED PUBLIC HOUSING THROUGH THE COMPASSIONATE REHOUSING QUOTA, WHICH IS CURRENTLY SET AT 800 FLATS A YEAR.+
FURTHERMORE, MR LIAO SAID, HOSTEL ACCOMMODATION FOR THE ELDERLY HAD BEEN INCREASED VERY SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS.
→SINCE 1980, ONE STANDARD HOSTEL WITH 150 PLACES HAS BEEN SET UP IN EVERY NEW LARGE ESTATE. THERE ARE NOW 26 HOSTELS IN PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES RUN BY VOLUNTARY AGENCIES PROVIDING A TOTAL OF MORE THAN 3 000 PLACES FOR THE ELDERLY.
+A FURTHER 19 HOSTELS OF THIS KIND WITH A TOTAL OF 2 800 PLACES WILL BE PROVIDED OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.+
MR LIAO SAID HOSTELS FOR THE ELDERLY WERE ALSO AVAILABLE IN TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS.
+THERE ARE CURRENTLY SEVEN SUCH HOSTELS RUN BY HELPING HAND WITH A TOTAL CAPACITY OF 600 PLACES, WHILE TWO MORE WITH 200 ADDITIONAL PLACES WILL BE PROVIDED IN THA'S WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO.
+IN ADDITION TO HOUSING AUTHORITY'S CONTRIBUTION AS PART OF AN OVERALL PROGRAMME FOR THE CARE OF THE ELDERLY, THE GOVERNMENT LAST YEAR INTRODUCED A TRIAL SCHEME OF PURCHASING FLATS IN PRIVATE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS FOR THE ELDERLY. 100 FLATS HAVE BEEN PURCHASED TO PROVIDE SOME 600 PLACES.+
OVER
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