Subsidy Scheme for Using Hotels and Guesthouses as Youth Hostels opens for application
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     The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) announced today (January 6) that the Subsidy Scheme for Using Hotels and Guesthouses as Youth Hostels under the Youth Hostel Scheme is open for application.
 
     To help meet the housing needs of young people and facilitate their development, the Chief Executive announced in the 2022 Policy Address that the Government would explore ways to increase the supply of youth hostels, including subsidising non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to rent suitable hotels and guesthouses for use as youth hostels, with the target of providing about 3 000 additional hostel places within five years. In mid-December 2022, the Legislative Council Finance Committee approved the funding for implementing the Subsidy Scheme.
 
     A spokesperson of the HYAB said, "The Subsidy Scheme would increase the potential supply of youth hostel places, providing more diversified options for eligible young people who wish to have their own living spaces. The Subsidy Scheme would also benefit the hotel and guesthouse industries, NGOs and the neighbourhood community. It is a youth development initiative that adds values to various parties."
 
     The Subsidy Scheme will provide subsidies for NGOs to rent rooms of hotels or guesthouses, carry out minor improvement/furnishing or purchase equipment as necessary for the daily use of youth tenants. The scope of the subsidy also covers NGOs' administrative expenses, as well as the expenses for providing value-added and community services to tenants and the community, etc. The subsidy to be allocated to each approved project will depend on the merits of the proposal submitted by the project applicant and a number of individual factors, including but not limited to the location of the hotel or guesthouse, the room size(s), provision of communal facilities and accessibility, etc. The relevant factors are set out in the Subsidy Scheme's guidelines to application.
 
     Hotels and guesthouses that are interested in participating in the Subsidy Scheme can register with the HYAB. During its processing of the applications, the HYAB will provide assistance together with relevant departments including the Planning Department and the Home Affairs Department. The HYAB will compile a list of eligible participating hotels and guesthouses subject to a checking of their basic qualifications for NGOs' consideration. Meanwhile, interested NGOs can also identify suitable hotels and guesthouses as partners. NGOs should enter into Memoranda of Understanding with the hotels or guesthouses after they have reached a consensus, and then submit their funding applications to the HYAB.   
 
     The Subsidy Scheme is open for application all year round, subject to the availability of funds under the Subsidy Scheme. Details about the Subsidy Scheme, including the guidelines to application and the application forms, have been uploaded onto the HYAB's website (www.hyab.gov.hk/en/policy_responsibilities/Social_Harmony_and_Civic_Education/youth_hostel_scheme.htm). Relevant organisations can submit their applications to the HYAB by post, email or other means.

Ends/Friday, January 6, 2023
Issued at HKT 20:06

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