HONG KONG (SE): The forthcoming Policy Address by Hong Kong’s chief executive (CE), Carrie Lam Yuet-ngor, must address the issue of homelessness, says Oblate Father John Wotherspoon, who has initiated a project which rents rooms for the homeless in this time of the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic.
Father Wotherspoon was speaking after the screening of the Cantonese movie, I am living it, depicting the plight of the city’s McRefugees, who live in the 24-hour McDonald’s outlets.
The event was organised by Mercy-Hong Kong, an initiative of Father Wotherspoon to help the neediest of the society, at the Broadway Cinematheque in Yau Ma Tei on September 23. It was the idea of renowned film maker and director Kenneth Bi to screen the movie to draw the public attention and raise awareness on the issue.
The screening was attended by 82 people, around 40 of whom are homeless and all were served a free meal after the screening of the movie. The film began after Deacon Edwin Ng Wing-hung led a prayer.
“Homeless are also voiceless and there is no one to speak for them. I hope that the CE gets hold of a copy of the Sunday Examiner or Kung Kao Po and pays attention to our request—homelessness must be on the menu of this year’s Policy Address,” Father Wotherspoon said while sharing a McDonald meal with numerous homeless and volunteers after the screening of the movie.
At present, Mercy-Hong Kong is helping accommodate the homeless at a guesthouse Yau Ma Tei with the support of generous donors. It has also set up a shop selling second-hand goods in Temple Street to offer jobs for some of its beneficiaries. (Sunday Examiner, May 17)
A representative of the production company said during the opening session of the screening that the director of the film, Wong Hing-fan, spent years visiting the homeless in the fast food outlets to look into their stories.
The screening was also supported by people who work to improve the situation of the homeless. Ray Tam, a social worker, said he was happy to cooperate with Father Wotherspoon by offering free meals to them through a social enterprise, the Ginko House, a restaurant in Yau Ma Tei, since February this year. Tam brought mooncakes to each of the audience.
Father Franco Mella of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions, who set up the Street Sleepers Action Committee for the homeless in 1985, said they have been visiting them and urging the Hong Kong government to do something to help them since that time and hopes that society can demonstrate more concern.
Maggie Chan Mei-kei, an artist, regularly visits homeless people in Chai Wan. She said it is time for different sectors to cooperate amidst the trials in the pandemic and hopes that the third round of the the government’s Anti-epidemic Fund, announced in mid-September, will reach more people in need.
Bo Fan Ka-ming, reporter from UCAN, expressed her gratitude to Father Wotherspoon for initiating the project of renting rooms after she informed him of the plight of the McRefugees who were forced to move out of their usual havens in March. She thanked the priest for his selfless dedication for the needy.
Jeff Rotmeyer, founder of ImpactHK, a charity founded three years ago which now provides accommodation for 160 people, was among the organisers of the event. He was convinced that “housing does not solve homelessness.” He explained that ImpactHK believes that the greatest need on the streets is love, kindness and friendship.
“The people we serve are friends and family to us and that’s how they stay off the streets. It has been a real blessing to be with these people,” Rotmeyer said.
