The following is issued on behalf of the Community Care Fund Secretariat:

     The Community Care Fund (CCF) will extend the assistance programme Subsidy for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Recipients Living in Rented Private Housing tomorrow (November 30). The six-month programme is administered by the Social Welfare Department (SWD).
      
     The programme, rolled out in October 2011, was launched annually in September 2013 to 2016 and relaunched for two years in November 2017. It aims at providing a one-off subsidy to Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) households living in rented private housing and paying rent which exceeds the maximum rent allowance (MRA) under the CSSA Scheme, so as to relieve their financial burden arising from the periodic increase of rent. The SWD has now extended the programme for six months.
      
     Beneficiaries should be, as at July 31, 2019, tenants of private housing receiving CSSA with monthly rental payment exceeding the MRA under the CSSA Scheme. The CSSA recipients concerned are not required to submit applications as the SWD will identify eligible CSSA households based on information on reported rental records as at July 31, 2019. In accordance with the current model of operation, monthly subsidy will be calculated based on the reported rental records as at July 31, 2019. The monthly subsidy will be either 50 per cent of the portion of the rental amount exceeding the applicable MRA or 15 per cent of the applicable MRA, whichever is the less. The subsidy will be disbursed during the extension period of the programme in one go. It is expected to be deposited directly into the eligible CSSA households' bank accounts for CSSA payment from late January 2020.
      
     For details of the programme, please visit the CCF website (www.communitycarefund.hk) or the SWD website (www.swd.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the CCF Team of the SWD at 3422 3090 during office hours.
 

Ends/Friday, November 29, 2019
Issued at HKT 14:00

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