Housing for the Elderly

Elderly persons are accorded priority in the allocation of public rental flats
under various priority schemes. Elderly persons can join their younger
generation to apply for public rental flats under the Families with Elderly
Persons Priority Scheme (allocation will normally be advanced by three
years). Those who prefer to live by themselves can apply for public rental
housing flats under the Single Elderly Persons Priority Scheme (allocation
will normally be made within two years for elderly people applying for
Housing for Senior Citizen units) or the Elderly Persons Priority Scheme
(allocation will normally be made within two years). Young families who
wish to apply together with elderly dependants for two separate flats in
the same block in new towns may join the Special Scheme for Families
with Elderly Persons (allocation will normally be advanced by one year).
So far, over 34 500 elderly people have benefited from these schemes.
New housing for the elderly will continue to be built on small urban sites
over the next few years. The government has also invited the Housing
Society to undertake a pilot 'Senior Citizen Residence Scheme' comprising
500 flats to be completed by 2001. The flats will be leased to elderly
people in the middle income group to give them access to affordable,
purpose-built accommodation with integrated care services.

The Housing Authority has established five Housing Information Centres,
namely in Yau Ma Tei, Tsuen Wan, Wan Chai, Hung Hom and Sham Shui
Po. In addition to outreaching services such as organising visits, talks and
exhibitions on housing for the elderly, these centres provide
comprehensive advisory services to residents affected by redevelopment
of private buildings or urban renewal projects, and to applicants for public
rental and Home Ownership Scheme flats. The authority also plans to set
up Housing Information Centres in other districts that have a
concentration of elderly residents in old private tenements to provide easy
access to information on public housing.

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