Addressing Housing Issues in Hong Kong PDF

Social Work Intervention III – Macro Practice (SW241) Hong Kong Shue Yan University Department of Social Work Macro Social Work Practice: Addressing Housing Issue in Hong Kong Week 10 Housing right Housing is a right, not a commodity The right to adequate h...

Social Work Intervention III – Macro Practice (SW241) Hong Kong Shue Yan University Department of Social Work Macro Social Work Practice: Addressing Housing Issue in Hong Kong Week 10 Housing right Housing is a right, not a commodity The right to adequate housing in human rights law Adequate housing was recognized as part of the right to an adequate standard of living in article 25 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (世界人權宣言) and in article 11.1 of the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (經濟、社會及文化權利的國際公約). United Nations Key elements of the right to adequate housing Security of tenure Availability of services Affordability Habitability Accessibility Location Cultural adequacy United Nations Affordability in Hong Kong The report assesses housing affordability in 94 major markets. The 2024 edition focuses on data from the third quarter of 2023 The report uses a median price-to-income ratio (median multiple) to determine affordability Median House Price/ Median Household income Median Multiple: 2023 (16.7) , 2021 (23.2) Demographia International Housing Affordability (2024)  Task Force on Land Supply (2018) Development Bureau (2024)  Housing profile (2022) Housing Authority (2023) General eligibility criteria for applicant Residing in Hong Kong and have the right to land in Hong Kong Don’t have an interest in any domestic property in Hong Kong Not exceed the income and asset limits 18 years of age or above Etc. Housing Authority (2024) Case study: Chuk Yuen (竹園) Housing Authority (2024) Case study: Chuk Yuen (竹園) (Con’t) Housing Authority (2024) Case study: Chuk Yuen (竹園) (Con’t) Housing Authority (2024) Case study: Chuk Yuen (竹園) (Con’t) Housing Authority (2024) The profile of public housing in Singapore Hong Kong (2022) Singapore (2018) For rental 66.3% 3.8 % For sale 33.7% 96.2% Housing & Development Board (2018) The profile of housing in Macao and Singapore Macao Singapore Legislative Council Secretariat (2021) Home Ownership rate Demographia International Housing Affordability (2024) Waiting time for public rental housing As at end-June 2024, the average waiting time for general applicants who were housed to PRH in the past 12 months has dropped by 0.2 years to 5.5 years, among which, the average waiting time for elderly one-person applicants has dropped by 0.1 years to 3.7 years. As at end-June 2024, there were about 123,100 general applications for PRH, and about 91,500 non-elderly one-person applications under the Quota and Points System (QPS). Housing Authority (2024) Bedspace Apartments Ordinance Bedspace apartment means any flat; or where the partitioning wall or walls between two or more adjoining flats which has or have been demolished, in which there are 12 or more bedspaces occupied or intended to be occupied under rental agreements, and for the purpose of determining whether any flat constitutes a bedspace apartment, the existence of partitions in the flats shall be disregarded. Bedspace apartments will not be permitted in industrial buildings or in basements. Until 31 Oct 2024, there are 7 licensed bedspace apartments in Hong Kong. Home Affairs Department (2024) Profile of subdivided units Census and Statistic Department (2023)  Aging problem in Housing Housing Authority (2023) Aging problem in Housing (Con’t) According to 2030+, there will be 326,000 private housing units aged 70 or above by 2046, which is nearly 300 times of the building stock of the same age in 2015. But, according to the buildings department’s record, the number of private buildings aged 50 or above increased from 4,500 to 9,600 in the past decade. The number is projected to rise further to 15,800 in 2032 and 22,900 in 2042. Development Bureau (2024) Double aging Population aging + Building stock aging Some challenges in double aging: A time-consuming process with high uncertainty Bulk of the financial assistance to subdsidise Limited subsidies for renovation and refurbishment of the private units Physical constraints of old buildings Diminishing neighbourhood support K.K. Ling & Karen Lee (2019)  Average household size and housing policy Housing Authority (2023) Housing Authority (2022) Household size Census and Statistic Department (2023) Quota and Points system The maximum annual allocation quota for the QPS is 2,200 units. Housing Authority (2024) Quota and Points system (Con’t) Age Point Estimated waiting After waiting for 5 years Estimated waiting time (447 points) time (447 points) 18 0 387 months 23 60 327 months 40 198 189 months 45 258 + 60 = 318 129 months 45 243 +60 = 303 144 months 50 363 84 months 50 288 + 60 = 348 99 months 55 408 39 months 55 333 + 60 = 393 54 months 60 / ? Housing Authority (2024) Long Term Housing Strategy Long Term Housing Strategy (2014) Three major strategic directions: (1) to provide more public rental housing units and to ensure the rational use of existing resources; (2) to provide more subsidised sale flats, expand the forms of subsidised home ownership and facilitate the market circulation of existing stock (3) to stabilise the residential property market through steady land supply and appropriate demand-side management measures, and to promote good sales and tenancy practices for private residential properties. Housing Bureau (2024) 2024 Policy Address Basic Housing Units (簡樸房) The government has decided to put in place, through legislation, a system on the renting of SDUs in residential buildings Policy Address (2024) Traditional housing and Light public housing Housing Bureau (2024)