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An elderly person who prefers to live alone can apply under the Single
Elderly Persons Priority Scheme and be allocated a public rental flat
within three years. The Government has pledged to reduce the average waiting
time of elderly singletons who wish to live by themselves to two years
by 2005. Two or more elderly persons who are willing to live together
may apply under the Elderly Persons Priority Scheme, and be allocated
flats within two years.
There are two priority schemes for public rental flats
which encourage households to live with and take care of their elderly
members. Applicants with elderly parents or dependent relatives aged 60
or above under the Families with Elderly Persons Priority Scheme are allocated
flats three years in advance at most of normal allocation in the district
of their choice. Alternatively, they may also apply under the Special
Scheme for Families with Elderly Persons for two separate flats in the
same estate in new towns two years at most in advance of normal allocation.
To help low-income elderly households living in non-self-contained
private flats or temporary structures, the Government pledged in the 2000
Policy Address to help eligible elderly people to apply for public housing.
All eligible elderly households which submitted applications by the end
of March 2001 have been offered public rental flats by the end of 2003.
Under its Senior Citizen Residences Scheme (SEN),
the HKHS has been implementing two projects, one in Tseung Kwan O and
the other in Jordan Valley, for developing purpose-built housing with
integrated health care facilities for senior citizens in the middle-income
group. The units in the projects are to be leased to eligible senior citizens
on a 'lease-for-life' basis, thereby providing security of tenure in line
with the concepts of 'healthy ageing' and 'ageing in place'. The project
in Tseung Kwan O was completed in late 2003, whereas the one in Jordan
Valley is expected to be ready for occupation around mid-2004.
The numbers of squatters and squatter structures have been reduced in
recent years as a result of rehousing and clearance programmes. There
are now approximately 216 600 people living in about 7 200 squatter structures
in the urban areas and about 389 900 squatter structures in the New Territories.
Squatter control is maintained by regular patrols and hut inspections.
About 740 illegal structures and extensions were demolished during the
year.
In April 2001, the Buildings Department drew up a seven-year clearance
programme to clear 12 000 illegal rooftop structures on 4
500 single-staircase buildings. Rooftop dwellers are encouraged
to register on the Waiting List for public rental housing. Occupants affected
by enforcement action against illegal rooftop structures will be rehoused
to public rental housing, including interim housing, according to their
eligibility. In 2003, about 2 600 people affected by rooftop
clearance were relocated.
In 2003, the rehousing of some 4 220 households living
in seven domestic housing blocks at Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate (I) was
completed. Since the launching of the HKHA's Comprehensive Redevelopment
Programme (CRP) in 1988, 531 housing blocks have been redeveloped to improve
the living conditions of some 181 730 households. |
