HONG KONG (SE): According to the statistics from the Social Welfare Department, there are currently more than 1,400 homeless people in Hong Kong—excluding cases that could not be contacted. On April 21, the Integral Human Development Commission and the Social Concerns Group of the North-East New Territories Deanery Alliance organised an exhibition at St. Benedict Church in Shatin to raise awareness about the problematic situation of homeless people; the exhibition aimed to urge the government to develop better services for them.
Susanna Lee, the commission’s project officer, said the exhibition was organised to promote greater understanding and respect for people without housing. “We would like to help people learn more about the situation of the homeless and the issues they are facing, and urge the government to formulate more friendly policies for the homeless,” Lee said.
A movie about the mutual support of a group of McRefugees, or people staying overnight in a 24-hour fast food restaurant, was also shown that day.
Before the movie was screened, Ng Wai-tung, community organiser of the Society for Community Organisation, was invited to talk about the situation of homeless people in Hong Kong during the event. He said that many people have no choice but to lead a homeless life because of the long waiting time for public housing, the high rent and the crowded conditions of subdivided or even coffin flats and the short living duration of the hostels for people without a home.
According to the statistics from the Social Welfare Department, there are currently more than 1,400 homeless people in Hong Kong—excluding cases that could not be contacted
Afterwards, the homeless visitation group from the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Wan Chai, as well as members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul shared how they set up the group during the pandemic two years ago and about their visits to the homeless every Friday.
Around 70 people, including volunteers from different parishes, participated in the movie screening.
Lee believes that the exhibition allowed people from different parishes and organisations to share their work and views, and that the commission will organise more activities to promote such exchanges.
Lee expressed concerns that although the homeless population increased by 88 per cent from 2014 to 2023 and the number of female homeless people has also risen proportionally, the number of subsidised hostel places only increased slightly from 202 to 228, and there are few subsidised hostel places for females.
She also pointed out that there are a few cases in which the government confiscated the belongings of homeless people before cleaning the street without prior warning, and concerned groups finally filed a case in court and fought for compensation. “Due to the lack of homeless-friendly policies, the homeless resorted to the court to protect their rights,” she said.
Lee expressed concerns that although the homeless population increased by 88 per cent from 2014 to 2023 and the number of female homeless people has also risen proportionally, the number of subsidised hostel places only increased slightly from 202 to 228, and there are few subsidised hostel places for females
She is aware that many parishes pay regular visits to people experiencing homelessness. Still, parishes in the New Territories may have less understanding of them as the number of homeless people is lower in those areas.
According to research carried out in 2021 by concerned groups, including MercyHK and the Society for Community Organisation, over 60 per cent of the over 1,000 homeless people surveyed lived in West Kowloon, 15 per cent on Hong Kong Island, and less than 10 per cent in the New Territories.
Law Pui-shan, executive secretary of the commission, said prolonged unemployment and homelessness had caused mental and health problems such as joint pain, dental problems, etc. Poor living conditions and inadequate medical support for people experiencing homelessness have made it difficult for them to recover and find suitable work. “This creates a vicious circle that makes it difficult for them to get out of the homeless life,” she said. She also hopes the government will realise that unfriendly public facilities, such as dividing a long public bench into separate seats, also leaves them with no place to lie down or sleep.
She is saddened to see that social prejudices have left the homeless vulnerable to discrimination, eviction and sometimes violence. “This is due to an attitude of indifference or ignorance of their existence,” she said.
As the theme of last year’s World Day of the Poor was “Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor” [Tobit 4:7], she urged people to regard the homeless as brothers and sisters and see what we can do to help them.
