Hong Kong fire victims to keep receiving HK$150,000 annual aid until rehoused
If the exchange flat is not ready for 2½ years, the annual subsidy will continue until they move in, an official says
Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun also said on Monday that residents currently living in transitional housing would be allowed to stay during the period.
The government earlier unveiled a plan to spend about HK$6.8 billion to buy back fire-damaged homes from flat owners.
The city’s deadliest blaze in decades claimed 168 lives and displaced about 5,000 people when it swept through the Wang Fuk Court residential complex last November.
Wang Fuk Court homeowners can choose between a cash buyout and a “flat-for-flat” exchange, which allows them to swap their homes for new subsidised flats at 10 designated projects under the Housing Authority or the Housing Society through a special sales exercise.
Wong sought to reassure affected residents that they would continue to receive the HK$150,000 rental subsidy for the next two years, even if they could not move into the replacement flats until later.