Hong Kong reaches milestone in public housing

Hong Kong is today (December 23) celebrating the 50th anniversary of the public housing programme, which has seen millions of people housed since the tragic fire at the Shek Kip Mei squatter area in 1953.

Marking the historic occasion today, scores of public housing tenants and community leaders gathered at Shek Kip Mei Estate to celebrate the golden jubilee of public housing.

It was here, 50 years ago, the first resettlement estate rose from the ashes of the fire to provide emergency relief for the 50,000 squatters who were left homeless overnight. From this disaster, Hong Kong's public housing programme developed into what it is today.

Revisiting the birth of public housing, the Chairman of the Housing Authority, Mr Michael Suen, said its development had been marked by a number of other milestones.

These included the Ten-year Housing Programme initiated by Sir Murray MacLehose in 1972; the inception of the Home Ownership Scheme in 1976; the introduction of the Long Term Housing Strategy in 1987 and the White Paper on Long Term Housing Strategy in 1998.

"Success does not come without effort," Mr Suen said.

The number of applicants on the waiting list has been significantly reduced to about 90,000 from 150,000 in 1997, and the average waiting time from over six years in 1997 to less than three years today.

"Over these years, public housing has been modernised and significantly improved both in terms of design and provision of facilities, benefiting residents as a whole," Mr Suen said.

"Public housing and Hong Kong may have experienced changes over the years but our mission to "serve the community" has always remained."

Mr Suen said that in November last year, the government repositioned its housing policy so that resources would be pooled to provide basic housing subsidy to those in need, while ensuring that limited resources would be allocated fairly and effectively.

At the ceremony, Mr Suen unveiled a plaque and launched a commemorative book jointly produced by the Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The book records the challenges, triumphs and accomplishments in the development of public housing in Hong Kong. Earlier this month, Hong Kong Post launched a set of special stamps.

Celebration events in the coming year will culminate February 2-4 with the International Housing Conference at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Conference, with the theme "Housing in the 21st Century: Challenges and Commitments" is expected to attract 600 local and overseas participants. Topics will include transformation in housing policies, globalisation and housing development, and sustainable housing for healthy living.

From June to October 2004, the Housing Authority will join forces with the Hong Kong Heritage Museum for an exhibition providing a glimpse of communal lifestyles in public housing estates.

Ends/Tuesday, December 23, 2003