Community group wants to include cage homes and cubicle apartments in subdivided housing legislation

A community group has urged lawmakers to include cage homes and cubicle apartments in the proposed legislation regulating subdivided housing.  

This appeal follows the policy address in October by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who announced plans to eliminate substandard subdivided units and introduce "basic housing units."  

The Society of Community Organizations (SoCO) highlighted that while the new policy address proposes legislation to regulate subdivided housing, it does not cover cage homes and does not explicitly state whether cubicle apartments will be regulated. This ambiguity has left many grassroots tenants wondering whether their residences will be affected. Additionally, the absence of a clear government resettlement policy has heightened concerns among these residents.  

Elderly individuals living in substandard subdivided houses expressed their helplessness, noting that they can only wait for notifications from property owners and accept whatever comes their way. Elders renting cubicle apartments are also unaware of the impact of the new legislation on their living situations and are anxious for the authorities to announce legislative details and resettlement plans in the near future.  

The SoCO has recommended that the government begin drafting a legislative timetable and regulate the per capita area of subdivided housing to ensure a minimum living area that is humane and aligned with public housing standards.  

The concern group also emphasized the need for clearer regulatory targets and an expansion in the definition and types of subdivided housing. They want to end cage and cubicle housing and suggest using Community Support Service teams to oversee the rehousing of residents to prevent homelessness.