Hong Kong introduces one-off subsidy for citizens in transitional housing

As many as 35,000 are expected to benefit from the trial scheme.

Hong Kong’s Housing Bureau is launching a trial that grants a one-off special allowance to people in transitional housing projects.

The bureau said it had successfully applied to the Commission on Poverty for $85.2m in funding from the Community Care Fund to support the two-year trial scheme. As many as 35,000 people are expected to benefit.

The allowance is intended to help qualifying households move home and adapt to living in a new community.

Households receiving the allowance will have to stay in their new unit for at least one year. They will not be granted the allowance for a second time after.

Interested people may submit an application for the subsidy when completing the procedures to take up an allocated transitional housing unit.

Allowance will be disbursed within 20 working days of receiving an application. If an approved applicant has not yet moved into the project at that time, the allowance will be disbursed within 10 working days of them formally moving in.

Application forms and details will be available online starting 22 August.