XN000022-1994-10-26 — Page 103

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1994

MR PRESIDENT,

(1)

ABOUT 160,000 NEW RENTAL FLATS ARE PROGRAMMED FOR COMPLETION BETWEEN 1994/95 AND 2000/01. IN ADDITION, ABOUT 130,000 VACATED FLATS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ALLOCATION WITHIN THIS PERIOD. THE QUOTA OF ALLOCATION OF THESE FLATS TO VARIOUS REHOUSING CATEGORIES, B.G. WAITING LIST, REDEVELOPMENT, THA CLEARANCE AND TRAWLING, SQUATTER CLEARANCE, ETC, IS DETERMINED BY THE MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY ANNUALLY, HAVING REGARD TO POLICY OBJECTIVES AND COMPETING CLAIMS. BARRING UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, WE EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO ALLOCATE MORE HOUSING RESOURCES FOR WAITING LIST APPLICANTS AFTER 1997/98 BY WHICH TIME WE WILL HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY DISCHARGED OUR CLEARANCE COMMITMENTS. ON

THIS

BASIS, WE ENVISAGE THAT IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR THE AVERAGE WAITING TIME TO BE REDUCED TO 5 YEARS BY 2001.

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

THE ELIGIBILITY OF A WAITING LIST APPLICANT FOR PUBLIC HOUSING IS ASSESSED WHEN HIS TURN IN HIS PREFERRED DISTRICT IS DUE. IT IS THEREFORE DIFFICULT TO ESTIMATE PRECISELY HOW MANY OF THE 150,000 WAITING LIST APPLICANTS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR RENTAL HOUSING. SOME APPLICANTS ARE SQUATTERS AND TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS RESIDENTS WHO WILL BE REHOUSED AS A RESULT OF SQUATTER CLEARANCES OR THA CLEARANCES AND TRAWLING EXERCISES. THEY DO NOT NEED TO GO THROUGH THE WAITING LIST ROUTE. SOME APPLICANTS WILL BE REJECTED FOR FAILING TO FULFIL THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. BY DISCOUNTING THESE FAMILIES, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT SOME 75,000 APPLICANTS CONSTITUTE THE EFFECTIVE DEMAND FOR REHOUSING THROUGH THE WAITING LIST.

WE DO NOT HAVE THE PRECISE STATISTICS. HOWEVER, ABOUT 6,100 WAITING LIST APPLICATIONS CANNOT BE PROCESSED FURTHER BECAUSE THEY HAVE YET TO MEET THE SEVEN-YEAR RESIDENCE RULE.

ABOUT

WE DO NOT HAVE THE PRECISE ESTIMATE, BUT IN 1993/94, 2,300 WAITING LIST APPLICATIONS WERE REJECTED BECAUSE THEIR INCOMES EXCEEDED THE LIMIT.

DEMAND

FOR PUBLIC RENTAL HOUSING IS REVIEWED EACH YEAR HAVING REGARD TO CHANGES TO PARAMETERS AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION. AS A RESULT OF THE TASK FORCE REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS, A NEW WORKING GROUP ON HOUSING DEMAND, CHAIRED BY THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, HAS COMMENCED WORK ON ASSESSING AND UPDATING HOUSING DEMAND. THE WORKING "GROUP IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE FRESH ESTIMATES BY LATE 1994 OR EARLY 1995.

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