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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 1986
POSITIVE RESULTS IN DEALING WITH STREET SLEEPING
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GOVERNMENT ACTION TO DEAL WITH STREET SLEEPING HAS PRODUCED SOME POSITIVE RESULTS, THE SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, THE HON DONALD LIAO, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON HO SAI-CHU ON GOVERNMENT POLICY IN MINIMISING THE NUISANCES CAUSED BY STREET SLEEPERS, MR LIAO SAID THE POLICY WAS FORMULATED AT THE STREET MANAGEMENT AS WELL AS SOCIAL WELFARE LEVELS.
+ON THE ONE HAND, GOVERNMENT CONDUCTS REGULAR CLEARANCE OPERATIONS INVOLVING RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS TO DETER STREET SLEEPING AND CURB NUISANCES.
+ ON THE OTHER HAND, COUNSELLING AND REHOUSING SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO THOSE WHO ARE GENUINELY HOMELESS,+ HE SAID.
HE SAID STREET SLEEPERS WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE CATEGORIES: THE ABLE-BODIED WHO ALREADY HAD PERMANENT ACCOMMODATION, THE +DOWN-AND-OUTS+ WITHOUT A PLACE TO LIVE, AND THOSE WHO APPEARED TO BE MENTALLY ILL.
MR LIAO SAID SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SLEEP ON THE STREET BECAUSE THEY HAD A JOB NEARBY OR WERE LOOKING FOR WORK IN THAT NEIGHBOURHOOD AND MIGHT FIND IT INCONVENIENT TO TRAVEL SOME DISTANCE TO THEIR NORMAL PLACE OF ABODE.
+SUCH STREET SLEEPERS MAY NOT BE IN NEED OF WELFARE SERVICES,+ HE SAID.
+THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE ARE APPROACHED BY SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT STAFF TO SEEK TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION IN SHELTERS RUN BY THE DEPARTMENT AND BY VOLUNTARY AGENCIES.
+THERE ARE MORE THAN 1 450 SUCH PLACES TO WHICH STREET SLEEPERS MAY BE REFERRED, HE ADDED.
MR LIAO NOTED THAT PEOPLE, INCLUDING SINGLE PERSONS, SEEKING PERMANENT ACCOMMODATION COULD BE HELPED UNDER THE COMPASSIONATE RE HOUSING PROGRAMME, UNDER WHICH SOME 900 UNITS WERE RESERVED EACH YEAR BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT.
STREET SLEEPERS WITH MENTAL PROBLEMS WERE ASSISTED BY WELFARE PERSONNEL TO SEEK TREATMENT WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
*OTHERS MAY BE MENTALLY SUB-NORMAL OR POSSESS AN INADEQUATE PERSONALITY BUT THEY ARE NOT MENTALLY ILL, HE SAID.
+WHILE GOVERNMENT