Almost 50 elderly Hongkongers spared homeless winter after surprise funding saves centre from brink of closure
An unidentified donor helped 49 elderly residents avoid having to look for another home
Almost 50 desperate senior citizens were spared the trauma of being kicked out of their cash-strapped elderly home in the middle of the festive season, thanks to the last-minute intervention of a white knight.
The Tsuen King Home for The Aged in Tsuen Wan managed to secure fresh funds to stay afloat yesterday morning, hours before an auction house was due to sell off some of its assets as instructed by the District Court.
On Monday, staff told the 49 residents they would have to move out within four days as the home would be shut down by then, with the operators owing the landlord months of rent arrears.
Families of the hapless residents were outraged.
“I definitely will not let my family members stay here any more. It seems to be in so much trouble now. Would you still have confidence in this care home if you were me?” said a woman with relatives living there.
“What if it tells us again in the future that it will still be closing down? I definitely will not let my father live here any more,” another woman said.
The centre was registered as a “care and attention home”, which is on the top level of a three-tiered system that determines how much care the elderly living there require. Such centres are home to senior citizens who are weak and suffering from a functional disability to the extent they require more help in daily activities.
