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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, visited some tenants of a bedspace apartment in Mong Kok and a few participants of the Intensive Employment Assistance Projects in Kwun Tong this afternoon (May 9) to better understand their welfare needs and employment situation.
Accompanied by the District Social Welfare Officer (Kowloon City and Yau Tsim Mong) of the Social Welfare Department, Mrs Barbara Lai Fung Po-kun, Mr Cheung first visited some singleton elders and low-income people at a bedspace apartment. He was concerned about their livelihood and saw for himself the neighbourhood mutual help network established by the Ladder Mission Yaumatei Neighbourhood Centre.
Afterwards, Mr Cheung went to the Mong Kok Cooked Food Market at Mong Kok Complex and chatted with the elders there. He was pleased to learn that some of the elders had built up a care and support network under the Pilot Neighbourhood Active Ageing Project, which was run by the Mission to New Arrivals Limited.
"With a view to promoting active ageing and reaching out to more hidden elders and those in need, the Government and the Elderly Commission spare no effort in promoting the pilot project," Mr Cheung said.
Finally, Mr Cheung toured the employment supportive facilities of the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong accompanied by the Social Welfare Department's Principal Social Work Officer (Social Security), Ms Leung Kwai-ling. He commended three participants of the Intensive Employment Assistance Projects for moving from welfare towards self-reliance.
"The employment projects were introduced in June 2003 to enhance the employability of the Comprehensive Social Security Allowance recipients and able-bodied unemployed people. As at January this year, over 24,000 participants of the projects had secured full-time employment, such as sales, waiters and cleaning workers," he said.
Mr Cheung urged eligible people to participate in the projects in order to equip themselves to join the labour market and move towards self-reliance.
Ends/Friday, May 9, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:43
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