Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin took to social media on Sunday to share a heartwarming encounter from a recent visit to a transitional housing project in Sheung Shui, highlighting how the move transformed the lives of a low-income mother and her young son.
Transitional housing provides short-term, subsidized accommodations designed to support underprivileged residents while they await permanent public housing.
Ho recalled that she met the mother a year ago, when she promoted transitional housing in Sheung Shui’s subdivided housing units.
At the time, the mother lived in a 70-square-foot unit where the bed was right at the entrance, paying monthly rent of HK$5,500. In addition to other living expenses, she was under heavy economic pressure.
Ho encouraged her to apply for the Pok Oi Sing Ping Village transitional housing project, which provides free shuttle bus service to the Sheung Shui MTR station to help ease transportation costs. The family moved in a month later.
A year after that initial meeting, Ho reunited with the mother and son at the village’s community canteen.
“What could be felt most directly was that both the mother and child smiled much more and looked full of energy,” Ho wrote on her social media account.
The mother said they are thriving in their new home, benefiting from lower rent, cleaner surroundings, and fresh air.
She added that having a dedicated study area has helped her son make significant academic progress.
Inspired by her positive experience, she recently recommended the housing project to a warehouse coworker, who has since submitted an application.
The project has cooperated with Food Angel, a food rescue and food assistance program, to provide registered residents with free frozen food. It also sets a shared refrigerator, allowing residents to share the food they prepare and extra ingredients.
In addition to open public areas used for festive community gatherings, the site houses a resident service center to foster neighborhood bonding.
Ho noted that comprehensive government measures—including phasing out substandard subdivided units, accelerating traditional public rental housing construction, and expediting both Light Public Housing and transitional housing projects—are key to delivering dignified, stable homes to grassroots citizens in need.
She said the authorities expressed appreciation to the Legislative Council and various political groups for their support.
“The care shown by these organizations, lawmakers, and the community has made the ‘last mile’ of policy delivery smoother and more people-centered,” Ho said.
