Task force to tackle substandard accommodation
Task force on housing strategy makes needs of 70,000 in cramped, squalid spaces its priority
The needs of more than 70,000 people living in poor and squalid conditions will be a priority for the Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee, which met for the first time yesterday
The committee, which will set priorities for addressing the housing needs of various groups, will prepare a preliminary report in the middle of next year for public consultation, said its chairman, Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung.
"We will appraise the housing needs of different sectors, with particular reference to youth, the elderly and first-time home purchasers," Cheung said.
The committee will also forecast demand for public and private housing, and review the effectiveness of existing measures.
Members were told yesterday that there are 64,900 people living in subdivided flats, cubicles, bedspaces or cocklofts, with another 6,300 people occupying industrial buildings illegally.
The committee agreed that these people have the most urgent housing needs.
Members also heard that in the second quarter of this year, the average rent-to-income ratio was 40.2 per cent, with the mortgage-to-income ratio 46.4 per cent.