XN000022-1987-07-01 — Page 18

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 1987

HE SAID GOOD GOOD PROGRESS WAS ALSO BEING MADE IN THE REDEVELOPMENT OF MARKS ONE AND TWO PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES WITH THE PROGRAMME DUE TO BE COMPLETED IN 1990. DETAILED PLANS WERE BEING WORKED OUT то REDEVELOP MARKS THREE ΤΟ SIX ESTATES AND FORMER GOVERNMENT LOW COST HOUSING ESTATES STARTING IN MID-1990S.

A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT IN 1984 SHOWED THAT THERE WERE 3,900 PEOPLE LIVING IN BEDSPACE APARTMENTS, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS CAGED MEN, AND OF THESE 75 PER CENT WERE UNDER 60 YEARS OLD, MR LIAO SAID.

"IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT A NUMBER OF BEDSPACE LODGERS ALREADY HAVE ADEQUATE HOUSING OUTSIDE THE URBAN AREAS, AND THEY RENT BED SPACES IN CERTAIN URBAN DISTRICTS IN ORDER ΤΟ BE CLOSE то THEIR PLACES OF WORK," HE ADDED.

HE SAID THESE PEOPLE WERE ALSO ELIGIBLE ΤΟ APPLY FOR PUBLIC HOUSING THROUGH THE WAITING LIST AND FOR THOSE

WHO, FOR VARIOUS REASONS WERE IN PARTICULAR NEED, COULD BE REFERRED BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT FOR URGENT REHOUSING ON COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS.

THERE WERE OTHER TYPES OF ACCOMMODATION FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE SUCH AS SHARED ACCOMMODATION IN PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES, MR LIAO SAID.

A HOUSING DEPARTMENT SURVEY CONDUCTED LAST YEAR SHOWED THAT 86 PER CENT OF THE 1,322 SINGLE PERSONS REHOUSED ON A SHARED FLAT BASIS SAID THEY WERE LIVING TOGETHER HARMONIOUSLY, WHILE EIGHT PER CENT SAID THERE WERE OCCASIONAL DISPUTES AND SIX PER CENT SAID DISPUTES WERE FREQUENT, HE ADDED.

"AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO PUBLIC HOUSING, ELDERLY BEDSPACE CAN ALSO APPLY FOR PLACES IN HOSTELS FOR THE ELDERLY OR OLD HOMES, MR LIAO SAID.

LODGERS PEOPLE'S

LEGCO GROUP FINDS SIX AREAS OF CONCERN FOR THE HOMELESS

* * *

THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP TO PREPARE FOR THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS HAS IDENTIFIED SIX AREAS OF CONCERN CONVENOR OF THE GROUP, THE HON MRS PAULINE NG, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNICL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

THEY ARE NAMELY, STREET SLEEPERS, PEOPLE LIVING IN BEDS PACE APARTMENTS, RUN-AWAY OR ABUSED CHILDREN NEEDING SHELTER, BOAT PEOPLE, SQUATTERS LIVING ON DANGEROUS CLOPES AND TEMPORARY HOUSING TENANTS AWAITING PERMANENT HOUSING

+

SHE SAID.

AREA

/MRS NG