'Public Housing Better Than Any Subsidy Scheme'

A group supporting people living in subdivided flats said the government should build more public housing – rather than offer them a subsidy – to help improve their lives.

According to a government scheme unveiled recently, families living in subdivided flats would receive a subsidy of up to HK$10,000 to pay for expenses such as minor renovations, furniture and pest control.

Chu Wing-in, a community organiser of the Concerning Grassroots' Housing Rights Alliance, said the scheme lacks flexibility. She pointed out that under a previous project under the Community Care Fund, residents received cash handouts.

On Tuesday, activists rallied outside the Central Government Offices to protest against what they see as insufficient assistance for residents of subdivided homes.

Still, Chu sees building more public housing units as key to solving their woes.

"Subsidies are just short-term aids for grassroots people... I can say that most of the grassroots people, they want to have public housing because the rent is very high in Hong Kong," she told RTHK's Areta Lee.

But she does not back the government's massive Lantau reclamation project. Chu said land is already available in Hong Kong – such as brownfield sites – to build homes.