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The Financial Secretary, Mr Henry Tang, and members of the Commission on Poverty visited Kwun Tong this afternoon (April 29). The Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, and Head of Central Policy Unit, Professor Lau Siu-kai, also took part in the visit.
This has been the second district visit since members of the commission adopted a district-based approach to alleviate poverty. The district visits aimed at giving opportunities for the members to meet people in the district who are providing or receiving assistance, listen to their opinions and exchange views with them on poverty-related topics. Through taking part in the visits, members are able to better understand the situations and existing services in various districts and the strengths of and challenges faced by the communities.
Mr Tang and members of the commission visited St Matthew's Lutheran School (Sau Mau Ping) in Kwun Tong this afternoon. They first met a group of elder people and people receiving family services. Members listened to their opinions and exchanged views with them on the challenges faced by the community. The service users present were mainly poor elderly, unemployed people and people suffered from family violence and need assistance.
Members noted that the Social Welfare Department was carrying out an 18-month trial scheme of the district welfare forum - the Concourse. The Concourse is a district-wide multi-service, inter-departmental and cross-sectoral welfare forum in Kwun Tong. The welfare forum has chosen "family violence" as the issue which warrants most concern in the district. A pilot scheme of the Concourse, focusing on community education, has been launched in the district to encourage families facing battered spouse and elder abuse problems to ask for prompt assistance; and to improve the existing platform for referral by strengthening professional training and experience sharing. The purpose of the pilot scheme is to enable families in need to receive appropriate services as early as possible. The pilot scheme will end in September. The welfare forum will then review its effectiveness and feasibility and study the possibility of extending the pilot scheme to other areas.
Mr Tang and the commission members later joined a forum attended by Kwun Tong District Councillors and district personalities from the business, education and social services sectors. The commission members exchanged views with the district personalities on the special needs and concerns of Kwun Tong residents such as the burden of transport costs, prevention of inter-generational poverty and encouragement of self-reliance. They also shared experiences in the direction and practicable measures to solve these problems.
"Although different communities may face different challenges, I am glad to know that there are many local organisations in Kwun Tong which have been actively participating in community development for a long time. This helps build a caring community," said Mr Tang.
Mr Tang commended the setting up of an inter-departmental task force on poverty alleviation in the district. The task force is co-ordinated by the District Officer (Kwun Tong). Members include concerned departments in the district. It works hand in hand with the Kwun Tong District Council and its working group on poverty concerns in reviewing and improving poverty alleviation services in the district.
"This mode of co-operation provides an effective platform for the discussion of poverty alleviation work in Kwun Tong. It also establishes a sound foundation for inter-sector co-operation in the district.
"We hope that this foundation can develop further by absorbing organisations and individuals from other sectors to work together to alleviate poverty in the district," Mr Tang said.
Ends/Friday, April 29, 2005
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