Govt mulls public housing 'guarantees' for elderly residing in GBA

The Housing Bureau is considering issuing "Letter of Assurance" concerning the allocation of public housing units for elderly who have opted to reside in designated care homes in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin revealed that under the proposal, if the elderly decide to return to Hong Kong due to any change in circumstances within the six-month trial residency period, they will be provided with a suitable public housing flat upon fulfillment of the eligibility criteria.

She noted that the proposal followed the Bureau taking into account the elderly may prefer retirement in mainland cities but are worried about not being able to adapt.

The city recorded 116,400 general applicants for public rental homes as of March this year, a 26 percent drop from the peak of 156,400 cases in September 2020.

The average waiting time for elderly one-person applicants for the public flats as of the end of March decreased by 0.1 years to 3.3 years compared to the previous quarter.