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3 new Hong Kong ‘community living rooms’ for people living in tiny subdivided flats to open

  • The new resources, all in Kowloon, are expected to cater to more than 1,000 households living in cramped conditions in To Kwa Wan, Hung Hom and Nam Cheong
  • Chief Secretary Eric Chan appeals to more developers to chip in and donate property so more can be opened

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The first “community living room” in Sham Shui Po has 8,000 sq ft for people living in cramped subdivided flats to do homework, shower, cook and eat. Photo: Jelly Tse

Three new Hong Kong “community living rooms” designed to help people from subdivided flats are to open.

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The government said on Thursday the new resources were expected to cater to more than 1,000 households living in cramped conditions in To Kwa Wan, Hung Hom and Nam Cheong, all in Kowloon.

Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city’s No 2 official, appealed to more developers to donate property to support the community living rooms programme after a meeting with the Commission on Poverty.

“Counting the existing community living room in Sham Shui Po, the four rooms could altogether benefit 1,750 subdivided flat households, with about 270,000 attendances every year,” Chan said.

“We aim to set up a community living room in every district where subdivided flat households are concentrated and call on more developers to join us in the initiative, benefiting more underprivileged families.”

Chief Secretary Eric Chan has appealed for more developers to step up and donate space for “community living rooms” to help people living in subdivided flats. Photo: Sam Tsang
Chief Secretary Eric Chan has appealed for more developers to step up and donate space for “community living rooms” to help people living in subdivided flats. Photo: Sam Tsang

A survey published last year revealed that the average size of a subdivided flat in the city in 2021 was just 118 sq ft.

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