The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (March 14) chaired the fifth meeting of the fifth-term Commission on Poverty (CoP) and led members to visit a school participating in the School-based After School Care Service Scheme to observe its operations.

     At the meeting, the CoP approved funding under the Community Care Fund for launching three additional three-year Community Living Room projects, in To Kwa Wan, Hung Hom and Nam Cheong respectively, under the Pilot Programme on Community Living Room. They are expected to commence operations gradually within 2024 to provide focused support for subdivided unit (SDU) households (particularly SDU families with children) by providing additional living space and expanding their interpersonal networks, thereby enhancing their living standard and sense of belonging to the community.

     As a project of targeted poverty alleviation, the Pilot Programme on Community Living Room is led by the Government, with the venues provided by the business sector and operations conducted by social welfare organisations. The CoP approved funding under the Community Care Fund in 2023 for launching a Community Living Room in Sham Shui Po for three years as the first project under the Pilot Programme. Since its operation at the end of 2023, the Community Living Room has received very positive responses. The Government will continue to encourage the business sector to participate in the Pilot Programme for the launch of more Community Living Rooms in districts clustered with SDU households to benefit more such households.

     After the meeting, Mr Chan and members of the CoP visited Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial Primary School to observe the implementation of the School-based After School Care Service Scheme, another project of targeted poverty alleviation. They were first briefed by the Principal, Ms Chu Wai-man, and the Director of the Hong Kong Children and Youth Services (the operator), Ms Joyce Lee, on the different needs of students participating in the Scheme, including those with special educational needs and those from single-parent families, as well as the services catering for them.

     Afterwards, Mr Chan and members of the CoP talked to some participating students and their parents to understand how students finished their homework and revision, and participated in extracurricular activities, under the guidance of instructors before leaving school. They were pleased to learn that the Scheme helped parents alleviate their stress arising from taking care of their children, and enabled them to join the labour market and enjoy more family time with their children when at home. Accompanied by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, and other government officials, Mr Chan also joined students in group games and encouraged them to enhance their social skills and relieve stress while studying.

     The School-based After School Care Service Scheme is led by the Government, with venues provided by schools and services rendered by non-governmental organisations. It provides targeted support for underprivileged families (especially single-parent families) and is implemented in primary schools from those districts clustered with such target students. As at February 2024, more than 50 primary schools in Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tong, Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long have joined the Scheme, providing a total of about 3 000 service places.

     Mr Chan said that the Government, jointly with the CoP, would continue to steadfastly unite the forces of the Government, the business sector and the community in taking forward projects of targeted poverty alleviation to better help such target groups as SDU households and single-parent households, thereby building a more caring and inclusive society.

     The fifth-term Commission on Poverty (CoP) convened the second meeting this afternoon (June 16).

     At the meeting, members were briefed on the implementation progress of the strategy of targeted poverty alleviation. Members noted that after multidimensional analyses of different socio-economic characteristics of household groups, the Government has initially identified certain groups for targeted poverty alleviation, namely households residing in subdivided units (SDUs), single-parent households and elderly households. The Government is preparing various targeted poverty alleviation projects to cater for the needs of these groups, and will implement them as and when ready.

     To provide support for SDU households, members were pleased to note that the first round of the Strive and Rise Programme, launched last October to support junior secondary school students from underprivileged families, particularly those living in SDUs, to broaden their horizons and strive for upward mobility, has been progressing well. The Government will establish an alumni club for participating students who have successfully completed the Programme such that they can keep in touch with mentors and other graduates, and provide them with activities and internship opportunities; and will enhance details of the second round of the Programme based on the implementation of the first round. In addition, the Government is planning a Community Living Room project to provide additional living space in districts for SDU households and help them establish interpersonal networks through cross-sectoral collaboration, thereby enhancing their living standards and sense of belonging to the community; and planning a one-off subsidy to improve the living environment of low-income SDU households, so as to alleviate the hardship faced by those households waiting for public rental housing and those living in poor conditions. The Government will draw up and announce details of the various projects in due course.

     To provide support for families in need, particularly single-parent families, the Government plans to launch a School-based After School Care Service Pilot Scheme in the new school year for one year. With venues provided by schools, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will be responsible for the operation at venues, allowing primary school students in need to stay after school to receive care services and learning support, while enabling parents to opt for work to improve their living. Members approved the pilot scheme under the Community Care Fund (CCF), with total estimated funding of $99.02 million. The Pilot Scheme is expected to benefit about 3 000 children. The Government will firm up details of the Scheme, appoint NGOs to provide care services, and identify primary schools with a greater preponderance of target students as well as invite them to help identify target students from Primary One to Primary Six to participate in the Scheme.

     To offer care to the elderly, the Government is considering inviting the District Services and Community Care Teams in the 18 districts to pay visits and deliver care to singletons, doubletons and households in which all members are elderly persons. Care Teams will introduce and encourage them to use the existing support services of the Government and resources of the community, and refer cases to the Social Welfare Department (SWD) for follow-up as needed. The Government will draw up and announce details of the project in due course.

     At the meeting, members took note of the progress and financial position of the various assistance programmes under the CCF. In addition to the above-mentioned School-based After School Care Service Pilot Scheme, members approved under the CCF a Trial Scheme on Special Allowance for Households of Transitional Housing to be implemented by the Housing Bureau. The Trial Scheme will provide a subsidy to households residing in the transitional housing projects under the Funding Scheme to Support Transitional Housing Projects by NGOs in support of their removal and adaption to the new living environment and community. The total estimated funding for the Trial Scheme, expected to benefit about 35 000 persons, is about $85.2 million. The Housing Bureau plans to introduce the Trial Scheme and receive applications from eligible persons in August 2023.