************************************************

The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority :

The Housing Authority (HA)'s Subsidised Housing Committee (SHC) has endorsed an ex-gratia scheme to assist Elderly Property Owner-Occupiers (EPOs) in private dilapidated buildings to move into Housing for Senior Citizens (HSC) of the HA or the Housing Society on a licence basis.

"This is a transitional arrangement on the recommendation of the Social Welfare Department under Compassionate Rehousing consideration," chairman of the SHC Mr Ng Shui-lai said today (May 19).

Mr Ng said that some EPOs in dilapidated private buildings were faced with various daily living problems, for instance frail elders living in aged buildings without lifts might have walk-up difficulties while others might have hardship in financing building repairs.

"They may not be able to dispose of their property to qualify for the application of public rental housing (PRH) or to move to other suitable accommodation expeditiously," he said.

"The scheme will allow them time to tackle these living problems," Mr Ng said, adding that the licence fee to be charged would be equivalent to the normal rent level of HSC.

"During this period, they can choose to dispose of their property or handle other related matters so that they can subsequently meet the eligibility criteria for applying PRH. However, they are required to submit a signed declaration form on their incomes and assets annually," he said.

Mr Ng stressed that the HA considered it necessary to maintain the Domestic Property Test for all PRH applicants including the EPOs as the PRH programme was targeted for low-income non-property-owning families.

"We should continue to accord priority to resolve the housing need of the 90,000 applicants on the GWL including 5,200 elderly applicants without property," Mr Ng explained.

Following the endorsement of the SHC today, the new measure will take immediate effect.

"Together with the wide range of supporting services offered by the Government and other non-governmental organisations, it is hoped that the living problems encountered by EPOs will be alleviated," Mr Ng said.

Ends/Wednesday, May 19, 2004

NNNN