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LCQ4: Support services for street sleepers
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     Following is a question by Hon Wong Yuk-man and a reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (March 18):

Question:

     It has been reported that in September last year, the Government allocated $1.2 million to a community organisation for the implementation of a 13-month "watcher programme". The programme provides training support to street sleepers, organises activities for them, and cleans the places where street sleepers usually gather, with the aim of assisting them to eventually quit street sleeping. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the number of street sleepers so far who have found, with the assistance offered by the "watcher programme", a fixed abode;

(2) of the current number of street sleepers on the register of the Social Welfare Department, and among them, the number of those who street sleep in the Sham Shui Po district; and

(3) whether it has grasped the situation of street sleepers reverting to street sleeping after being allocated public housing; as it is learnt that quite a number of people consider that street sleepers affect environmental hygiene as well as law and order, and they therefore have a negative perception of street sleepers, how the Government protects the rights and interests of street sleepers in daily lives?

Reply:

President,

     My reply to Hon Wong Yuk-man's question is as follows:

(1) The public and the District Councils (DCs) have expressed concern over hygiene and law and order issues at locations where more street sleepers gather. For Sham Shui Po (SSP) district, the SSP District Office (DO) has frequently coordinated joint operations conducted at these locations. The departments concerned perform their duties in accordance with their respective purviews to enhance environmental hygiene condition, while showing respect for the street sleepers.  

     As announced by the Chief Executive in his 2014 Policy Address, the Government introduced a pilot scheme for the enhancement of district administration (the pilot scheme) in SSP and Yuen Long to provide the relevant District Management Committees (DMCs), chaired by the District Officer, with decision-making power and funding to tackle the priority district issues identified by the DCs concerned. After in-depth discussion, the DMC and DC of SSP decided to follow up on two issues under the pilot scheme, one of which was to strengthen support for street sleepers in the district.

     With the support of the DC and the additional funding available under the pilot scheme, the DO has engaged the Society for Community Organization (SoCO) to strengthen support services for street sleepers in the district. The "Watchers' Project" has adopted a caring approach by engaging dedicated social workers to reach out to the street sleepers to better understand and follow up on their actual needs and problems. Various training programmes (including enhancing motivation and work skills) have also been arranged by SoCO to help the street sleepers give up street sleeping. In addition, community personalities have also provided further assistance such as job referrals.

     As at February 28, 2015, 34 street sleepers in SSP had left the streets to live in a fixed abode under the "Watchers' Project".

(2) According to the information currently kept by the Social Welfare Department (SWD), there were 806 registered street sleepers in Hong Kong as at end-January 2015. Of these, 381 were in SSP district.

(3) According to the social workers who are in touch with street sleepers, some street sleepers have, after being allocated public housing units, reverted to street sleeping owing to their difficulties in adapting to the new lifestyle and/or other personal factors. For instance, some street sleepers who wish to be self-reliant by engaging in a number of casual jobs to support their own living would prefer to stay in the streets near their workplaces and are reluctant to return to their public housing units, etc. Other street sleepers choose to revert to street sleeping in the original locations probably because of their personal problems (including alcoholism, drug abuse or psychiatric problems), which would have made it relatively difficult for them to adapt to the new living environment and establish new social support network. Besides, there are cases of street sleepers who live with family members choosing to revert to street sleeping owing to problems in getting along with their family members.

     SWD subvents three non-governmental organisations (NGOs), namely the Salvation Army, St. James' Settlement and the Christian Concern for the Homeless Association, for each of them to operate an Integrated Services Team for Street Sleepers (IST). ISTs provide street sleepers with integrated services, including day and late-night outreaching visits, emergency shelter/short-term hostel placement, counselling, employment guidance, personal care (e.g. bathing, haircut and meal), emergency relief fund to cover various expenses (e.g. short-term payment of rent and living costs, rental deposit, other removal expenses, etc), and service referrals, etc. Besides, SWD subvents SoCO to run a Care and Support Networking Team which aims at helping street sleepers and other vulnerable groups, through the provision of outreaching support, casework and group work services, tackle their livelihood needs and reintegrate into the community.

     Under the "Watchers' Project", social workers visit street sleepers in the district who have moved into fixed abodes on a regular basis to understand how they have been adapting to the new environment. By helping them bridge over to a new life, it is hoped that their chances of reverting to street sleeping can be reduced.

     Helping street sleepers give up street sleeping for good and become self-reliant has long been the target of the Government. For those street sleepers who are unable to leave the streets within a short time, the DC and local residents treat those street sleepers as part of the community, and have expressed understanding of their situation. That said, the DC and residents also hold the view that street sleepers, being members of the district, should be more considerate towards other residents and appreciate the importance of environmental hygiene and law and order. To balance these concerns, the DO not only continues to conduct weekly joint operations but also arranges larger-scale cleansing operations under the "Watchers' Project". With the assistance of the social workers, street sleepers are persuaded to clear their odds and ends to maintain environmental hygiene.  

     We will capitalise on the experience gained, continue to listen to the views from the districts and adopt suitable measures to deal with the problem with a people-oriented approach, while showing respect for the street sleepers.

Ends/Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Issued at HKT 13:40

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