​Following is a question by the Hon Vincent Cheng and a written reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (October 15):

Question:

     It has been over 13 years since the Government launched the Youth Hostel Scheme. Of the seven youth hostel projects whose construction is fully funded by the Government, only two have been put into service. Furthermore, the Government expanded the Scheme in 2023 by subsidising non-governmental organisations in renting suitable hotels and guesthouses for use as youth hostels (the Subsidy Scheme), with six projects approved to date. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the latest progress of the five youth hostel projects whose construction is fully funded by the Government but not yet put into service, and whether there have been any delays in these projects; if so, of the reasons for that; given that in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2025-2026, the Government indicated that the two projects at Castle Peak Road and Salvation Army Street, Wan Chai were respectively at the "pre-construction works" and "technical feasibility studies" stages, whether the Government will continue with these two construction projects;

(2) of the latest room occupancy rate and number of tenants of the six youth hostel projects under the Subsidy Scheme respectively;

(3) given that it is stipulated under the Subsidy Scheme that youth tenants of youth hostel projects shall participate in no less than 200 hours of community or volunteer services each year to give back to the community, of the attainment rates of youth tenants in terms of the above requirement (set out by project); as it is learnt that some young people have refrained from applying for youth hostels due to concerns about failing to meet the community service hour requirement, whether the Government has assessed the effectiveness of this requirement in encouraging young people to give back to the community; and

(4) as it has been reported that the rent of some hostel places in the first youth hostel project converted from private residential housing located at Tung Chau Street ranges between $7,600 and $7,800, and it is learnt that that although the rental levels are higher than those stipulated under the policy (i.e. rental levels being within 60 per cent of the market rent for similar flats in nearby areas of the same district), the response from the community to the quality of hostel in this project has been positive, whether the Government will accept further applications for converting private properties into youth hostels in the future, or whether it has already received other similar applications; whether it has assessed if there is room for reducing the rent of such projects in the future?

Reply:

President,

     The Youth Hostel Scheme (YHS) is an important youth development initiative. Apart from meeting young people's aspirations of having their own living space, we also hope that youth tenants will benefit through participating in the various support and training activities provided by youth hostels during their stay. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) has been proactively implementing the YHS through a multi-pronged approach, which includes fully funding non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to construct youth hostels on under-utilised sites, and launching the YHS - Subsidy Scheme for Using Hotels and Guesthouses as Youth Hostels (the Subsidy Scheme). There are currently eight youth hostels launched under the YHS, providing over 3 700 hostel places in total.

     In response to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Vincent Cheng, our reply is as follows:

(1) There are currently seven youth hostel projects whose construction is fully funded by the Government. The first two youth hostels run by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and the Po Leung Kuk have commenced operation upon completion of construction in 2020 and 2023 respectively, offering a total of over 1 700 hostel places. Three youth hostel projects under construction by the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association, the Hong Kong Association of Youth Development and the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals are expected to be gradually completed from 2026 onward, offering a total of about 1 000 hostel places. The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited's project and the Salvation Army's project are undergoing the pre-construction works and technical feasibility studies respectively.

(2) Since the launch of the Subsidy Scheme in 2023, six projects have been approved and put into use, providing about 2 000 hostel places in total. As at end-August 2025, except for the usual tenant turnover slots, the average room occupancy rate of the six youth hostels (including youth hostels whose construction is fully funded by the Government and projects under the Subsidy Scheme) that have operated for at least a year is about 85 per cent.

(3) The YHS offers a platform to promote youth enrichment and development, enabling them to unleash their strengths and contribute to society. We hope that, through flexible participation in activities/training at youth hostels and community/voluntary services during stay, youth tenants may achieve self-enrichment, expand their social networks and effectively set personal development goals. Meanwhile, the communities where the youth hostels are located will also benefit from the community services provided by youth tenants. This in turn helps the underprivileged obtain direct support from young people and establish a wider peer network, which is conducive to building a harmonious society in the long run. At present, the overall operation of the youth hostels has been smooth. The NGOs operating the youth hostels have also arranged youth tenants to participate in activities at the youth hotels (such as entrepreneurship training, physical and mental development, and workplace culture) and community outreach or volunteer services. As the location, scale and facilities of each youth hostels differ, taking into account their actual circumstances, the NGO operators will make day-to-day management and operational arrangements accordingly, including the type, number and mode of activities to be organised. The HYAB will continue to monitor the operation of the youth hostels, review the implementation arrangements of the Subsidy Scheme according to actual circumstances, and adjust the execution details when necessary.

(4) The rent charged by a youth hostel is determined by its location, room size, ancillary facilities as well as the activities and services to be provided by the NGOs. Youth tenants may, according to their own needs and financial means, choose among different youth hostels. The HYAB will continue to take forward the YHS proactively through a multi-pronged approach. In order to benefit more young people, we will also continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders sharing our vision to explore different ways to increase the supply of youth hostels.

Ends/Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:47

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