Poverty and Settlement Right

The poor in Hong Kong lacks power to improve their living conditions not because the government fails to provide well-designed public housing flats for them at a right time, but because the poor does not have a right to own lands. 

On 21 May 1999, ATV screens a television programme about New Immigrants, Expatriates and Refugee Shelters. The programme reveals the poor living conditions of the new arrivals who live in a temporary housing area, a temporary homeless shelter, rooftop flats or small private rental flats. Besides, the large influx of the new mainland immigrants into Hong Kong is socially depicted as a threat to local workers and a burden on government services. Since this, the polarization between the new mainland immigrants and local people is exasperated. 

The urgent need for the mainland immigrants is an affordable housing. In Hong Kong, public rental housing is designed for low-income groups who cannot afford to rent a private flat of suitable size. However, the waiting time is quite long. For instance, the time for the singleton to obtain the permission to "choose" public rental flats could lasts more than seven years. When they have not yet been allocated the flats, they need to live in refugee shelters temporarily.  

Refugee shelters are designed for those who still wait for the allocation of  public housing flats. Each shelter has a communal toilet, kitchen and bathroom. In each shelter, there are many iron made bunk beds which are put in order. The bed is the only private space for residents. Some beds have mosquito net hanging around for creating a private space. Through a mosquito net, it was faintly seen hat a man or a woman is sleeping. Under the bed, there are several plastic basins for storing water or bathing.  Sometimes, on some beds, there is a television set. 

In shelters, there are different sorts of residents, which is a threat to single women. A woman of middle age, dyed long hair, big eyes and pale complexion  said that residents living here may include lunatics or beggars. Without other choices, she only depends on herself and act very carefully. 

Although the housing conditions in Refugee shelters are very poor, a senior housing manager of the Housing Authority said that refugee shelters are better than the old private rental housing because the kitchen in shelters is bigger and the ventilation is better. Owning to the large influx of the mainland immigrants to Hong Kong, the housing manager said that the Housing Authority may establish a new temporary center or use abandoned buildings for refugee centers. Perhaps new temporary housing or interim housing would be more well-provisioned. The poor still lacks the power to improve their living conditions.

Mr Chan, who is a resident of a refugee shelter, works as a security guard in a shopping mall. Every day he takes METRO to the working place and at night back the shelter. On arriving the shelter, he prepares his dinner alone. As the rule specifies that burning is not permitted in the kitchen, Mr Chan could not use burning utensils to cook his food. Each night, he can only use his electric cooking to boil cabbages and beef meat.  After the dinner, he sleeps and next day, goes back office. The bed is only a temporarily sleeping place. The shelter is belonging to the Housing Authority. The loosed social network formed is coming to break down.

Perhaps in near future, Mr Chan is allocated a new public rental flat with an individual bathroom, toilet and kitchen. He still lacks the power to control rents, the use of space in the estate, the design of the estates and the type of services provided. No doubt living in the estates is better and cheaper than in old private rental housing. But it is also true that their collective power to exert influence on public affairs is still lacking.