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Government allocates extra funds to crisis centres
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     The Social Welfare Department has injected additional funding of $970,000 into the CEASE Crisis Centre of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and the Family Crisis Support Centre of Caritas - Hong Kong to strengthen their support services for people affected by the financial crisis.

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, today (January 2) visited the CEASE Crisis Centre to get an update of its financial crisis emotional support services as well as its services for victims of sexual violence and domestic violence.

     The Government has earlier allocated $1.2 million to the CEASE Crisis Centre and the Family Crisis Support Centre to set up two 24-hour Financial Crisis Emotional Support Hotlines (CEASE Crisis Centre hotline: 2454 8800; Family Crisis Support Centre hotline: 3162 3030). A total of 3,093 calls have been received since the launching of the two hotlines on October 13 last year till the end of the year. Most of the cases were about emotional and family problems resulting from loss of investment, unemployment, business failure and low income. Six hundred and forty-two persons required follow-up services.
 
     Social workers have offered counselling to cater for their needs and to empower their competencies to face up adversity. They have also referred those in need to appropriate services.

     Mr Cheung said, "As the contagion effects of the financial crisis gradually surface, we have allocated extra funding totalling $970,000 to the two crisis centres to strengthen support for people with emotional or family problems relating to the financial crisis."

    The CEASE Crisis Centre also provides a 24-hour hotline(18281), and crisis intervention and immediate outreach service for victims of sexual violence. It also offers 80 short-term accommodation places for victims of sexual violence and domestic violence, as well as those in crisis.

     The centre handled 12,600 calls from January to September last year. The number of admissions for its new short-term accommodation service stood at about 180 in the first six months of operation from May 2008.

     The centre has also handled 145 sex violence cases since its inception in March 2007. With the collaborative efforts of professionals and other service units, the centre provides sexual violence victims with a customer-oriented and one-stop service, effectively addressing the needs of the victims.

     During Mr Cheung's visit to the centre, he showed concern for the residents and hoped they would cope with the trauma and adversity. He also hoped that they could rebuild their confidence and start a new life soon.

     Mr Cheung also reiterated that the Government would not tolerate domestic violence and the Social Welfare Department would enhance supporting services to victims of domestic violence and families in need. The department would increase the manpower of the Family and Child Protective Services Units and the Clinical Psychology Units, further develop the batterer intervention programme, enhance support by the crisis centres, and strengthen public education.

     Mr Cheung said that the Government had allocated $1.58 billion to assist victims of domestic violence and families in need this financial year. He urged families or individuals in need to seek help to enable social workers to offer timely assistance to deal with their crises and problems.

Ends/Friday, January 2, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:27

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