Government to launch Pilot Scheme for Elderly Recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance to Reside in Residential Care Homes in Guangdong
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Applicants of the Pilot Scheme must meet the eligibility criteria, including: (1) they are eligible for or have already joined the Portable CSSA (PCSSA) Scheme; (2) they will reside or are residing in the designated RCHEs; and (3) they are not receiving any other subsidy for residential care services from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) or other organisations concurrently. In addition to the cash assistance under the PCSSA Scheme, elderly participants of the Pilot Scheme will receive a monthly subsidy of HK$5,000 to cover the costs of residing in the designated RCHEs and related living expenses.
The SWD has commissioned the New Home Association as the approved service provider (ASP) to assist in implementing the Pilot Scheme. Starting from tomorrow, eligible elderly CSSA recipients may apply to the ASP/social security field units responsible for their CSSA cases. The ASP will provide relevant information about the designated RCHEs to assist the elderly and their family members in selecting a suitable RCHE on their own and filing their applications. Upon completion of the vetting procedures, the SWD will issue notification letters to the applicants to inform them of their application results and the subsidy disbursement arrangements.
The ASP will organise experience tours to some of the designated RCHEs, providing the elderly with an opportunity to tour the facilities and experience the services in order to select a suitable RCHE. Tentatively the first experience tour will be held in November this year. The SWD will issue letters to eligible elderly CSSA recipients by batches to promote the Pilot Scheme and invite them to join the experience tours.
A spokesman for the SWD supplemented that the Hong Kong Housing Authority has adopted a more flexible tenancy arrangement since March this year, providing a longer adaptation period for elderly persons who choose to retire on the Mainland. Elderly Public Rental Housing (PRH) tenants participating in the Pilot Scheme could retain their existing PRH units or tenancies for six months (previously three months), starting from their departure from Hong Kong to retire on the Mainland. The above arrangement is also applicable to the elderly residents of rental estates of the Hong Kong Housing Society.
More details of the Pilot Scheme are available on the websites of the CCF (www.communitycarefund.hk) and the SWD (www.swd.gov.hk). For enquiries, please contact the CCF team of the SWD on 3422 3090 or the ASP New Home Association on 2815 7399 during office hours.
Ends/Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Issued at HKT 15:00
Issued at HKT 15:00
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