Hong Kong’s underprivileged children have ranked a lack of public housing as their top concern that required government support for 15 years in a row, two NGOs have said.
Underprivileged children rank housing as their priority for government support for 15 years in a row as NGO the Society of Community Organisation (SoCO) releases a report on the issue on January 1, 2025. Photo: SoCO.
Hong Kong had around 215,000 children under the age of 18 living in poverty last year – meaning one in five children in the city – according to a report released on Wednesday that was co-authored by the Society of Community Organization (SoCO) and the Hong Kong Committee on Children’s Rights (HKCCR).
The latest edition of the annual report said government policies over the past year had failed to adequately address child and intergenerational poverty, urging authorities to step up anti-poverty measures in 2025.
Housing had remained underprivileged children’s greatest concern since 2010, followed by medical services and education. The ranking was based on the votes of around 5,000 HKCCR members aged six to 18.
Sze Lai-shan, the deputy director of SoCO, told a radio programme on Thursday that despite government initiatives to increase the supply of public housing, such as transitional housing and “light public housing” schemes, many children were still living in undesirable conditions.
“Children are straightforward… Even though you promise an amount of future [public housing units], they say they are still waiting now,” Sze told Commercial Radio in Cantonese.
But she said that the housing needs for underprivileged children could be alleviated in a few years as transitional housing and light public housing schemes are built.
A subdivided flat in Hong Kong. File photo: GovHK.
The government has said it aimed to build about 30,000 light public housing units by 2028, and around 21,000 transitional housing units by 2026.
Overall, the government’s anti-poverty measures over the past year received a score of 26 out of 100 – the highest rating since the first report was released in 2006.
Authorities received zero marks in arranging for family reunions between Hong Kong-born children and their mainland Chinese mothers, as well as for preventing discrimination against mainland Chinese migrant families.
It received five points out of 10 for its housing policies, which Sze said reflected children’s recognition of the government’s plan to eliminate subdivided flats.
The government also received four points for efforts to address intergenerational poverty last year – up from zero in 2023 – with Sze highlighting the government’s “Strive and Rise” programme, which pairs underprivileged children with mentors and a HK$10,000 scholarship.
But Sze also said the programme could only benefit 4,000 children and urged the government to expand its quota.
The report also recommended offering free breakfasts and lunches for children living in poverty and providing temporary housing or rent subsidies for families living in undesirable flats.
