The grim reality of life in Hong Kong’s ‘coffin homes’ | Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo
Summary
TLDRThe video script sheds light on Hong Kong's affordable housing crisis, highlighting the plight of over 210,000 people living in subdivided flats and cage homes. It features activist Cai Shan, who has dedicated over two decades to advocating for the underprivileged. Despite a government pledge to address the issue by 2049, the reality remains grim, with many living in squalor and facing long waits for public housing. The script emphasizes the need for awareness and societal support to improve living conditions.
Takeaways
- 🏙️ Hong Kong, despite its prosperity, faces a severe affordable housing crisis with over 210,000 people living in subdivided flats.
- 💡 CI Shan Wa is a dedicated social worker who has spent over 20 years advocating for better living conditions for the underprivileged.
- 🗓️ China's top official has set a deadline of 2049 for Hong Kong to eliminate unacceptable housing conditions.
- 🏠 Subdivided units in Hong Kong are alarmingly small, averaging just 11 square meters, even smaller than an average parking space.
- 📉 The prevalence of metal cage homes has decreased, but 'upgraded' alternatives like coffin homes still offer inadequate living conditions.
- 🤝 Social workers like Cai Shan provide essential support to those living in these conditions, including food coupons and housing applications.
- 👴 Many retirees in these conditions rely on government welfare payments, which are barely sufficient to cover their rent and basic needs.
- 👨👩👧👦 Families, including children, are forced to live in these cramped spaces, sharing limited facilities and struggling with high rent.
- 📈 The demand for public housing is overwhelming, with over 133,000 people on the waiting list and waiting times that can exceed a decade.
- 🏢 Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive John Lee, has prioritized affordable housing, but the timeline for significant improvements is lengthy.
- 🙏 The script emphasizes the importance of awareness and gratitude for those who live in better conditions, while advocating for policy changes to address the housing crisis.
Q & A
What is the main issue discussed in the transcript?
-The main issue discussed in the transcript is the chronic shortage of affordable housing in Hong Kong, particularly the squalid living conditions of the underprivileged who live in subdivided flats and cage homes.
Who is Ci Shan Wa and what is her role?
-Ci Shan Wa is a tireless campaigner for the downtrodden who has spent over 20 years helping them secure a roof over their heads or trying to ease their suffering in cramped living conditions.
What is the deadline set by China's top official for Hong Kong to rid itself of unacceptable housing?
-China's top official responsible for Hong Kong Affairs has given the local government a clear deadline to rid the city of such unacceptable housing by 2049.
What is the average size and median monthly rent of the subdivided units in Hong Kong?
-The average size of the subdivided units is a measly 118 square feet or 11 square meters, and the median monthly rent is $5,000.
How does the living condition in the subdivided units compare to the average parking space in Hong Kong?
-The average size of the subdivided units is even smaller than the average parking space in a city that boasts of the highest number of Rolls-Royces per capita.
What challenges did social workers face during the COVID-19 pandemic when visiting the subdivided units?
-During COVID-19, social workers faced challenges such as curtailed movements, the difficulty of isolating infected individuals in such small spaces, and the need to deliver masks and support to the residents.
What is the current situation with public housing in Hong Kong?
-More than 133,000 hopefuls are currently in the queue for public housing, with some waiting up to 10 years, indicating a daunting prospect for those in need.
How does the government plan to address the housing problem?
-The government aims to look at all the homes like these and decide which is up to living standards and which is below, with the intention of shutting down those that do not meet standards.
What is the role of social workers like Cai Shan in supporting tenants in subdivided units?
-Social workers like Cai Shan provide additional support to tenants by regularly visiting them to hand out food coupons and help them apply for better housing.
What is the perspective of the residents living in these conditions about the government's ability to provide better housing?
-Many residents, like Uncle Lang, have no faith in the government's ability to provide better housing, having been through the process before and seeing little improvement.
What is the significance of the 2049 deadline mentioned in the transcript?
-The 2049 deadline signifies that the government has around 26 years left to meet the target of eliminating cramped and unsuitable accommodation in the city, as set by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director.
Outlines
🏙️ Hong Kong's Housing Crisis
The script opens with a discussion about Hong Kong's severe affordable housing shortage, a problem that plagues the city despite its wealth. It introduces CI Shan, a dedicated campaigner who has been assisting the underprivileged in securing better living conditions for over two decades. The narrative emphasizes the stark contrast between the city's prosperity and the squalid living conditions of those in subdivided flats, with over 210,000 people living in such spaces. The script also mentions the Chinese government's directive to resolve this issue by 2049, but acknowledges the challenge of achieving this goal.
🏡 Life in Substandard Housing
This section delves into the realities of living in Hong Kong's substandard housing, highlighting the experiences of residents in笼屋 (cage homes) and subdivided units. The script describes a visit to such a home, discussing the poor ventilation and the imminent threat of eviction to make way for even more cramped subdivided units. It underscores the relative 'improvement' in living conditions when moving from a cage home to a subdivided unit, despite the conditions still being far from ideal. The script also discusses the impact of COVID-19 on these residents, who often lack the space to isolate themselves, and the government's efforts to provide support.
👴 The Struggles of Retirees
The script focuses on the plight of elderly residents like Uncle L, who have lived in these conditions for years and continue to do so due to the lack of better housing options. It discusses the challenges faced by retirees who rely on government welfare and the long wait times for public housing. The narrative also touches on the role of social workers like Cai Shan, who provide additional support to these tenants, and the sense of community and resilience among the residents despite their difficult circumstances.
👨👩👧👦 Families in Overcrowded Conditions
This part of the script explores the living conditions of families with children in subdivided flats, emphasizing the challenges of raising a family in such cramped spaces. It discusses the high cost of rent relative to the size of the living space and the shared facilities such as kitchens and toilets. The script also highlights the government's efforts to streamline the public housing application process and the direct pressure from Beijing to address the housing crisis, with a specific deadline of 2049 set to eliminate such unsuitable accommodations.
🌟 Hope for a Housing Solution
The final section of the script is an interview with a social activist, CA Shan, who discusses her motivation for helping those in need and her hopes for the future. It reflects on the importance of raising awareness about the housing crisis and the need for policy changes to improve living conditions. The script also addresses the government's plan to tackle the issue, the concerns about potential loopholes that might allow some substandard housing to remain, and the activist's cautious optimism about the possibility of change within the 26-year timeframe set by Beijing.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Affordable Housing
💡Subdivided Flats
💡Coffin Homes
💡Cage Homes
💡Social Activism
💡Public Housing
💡Waiting List
💡Comprehensive Social Security Assistance
💡Housing Policy
💡Upward Mobility
💡Gratitude
Highlights
Hong Kong's prosperity overshadowed by a chronic shortage of affordable housing.
Over 210,000 people live in tiny subdivided flats.
CI Shan Wa is a campaigner helping the underprivileged secure housing for over 20 years.
China's top official sets a 2049 deadline to eliminate unacceptable housing in Hong Kong.
Cage homes and subdivided units are common despite being substandard.
The average size of subdivided units is 11 square meters, smaller than a parking space.
Coffin homes are partitioned units with thin wooden boards or wire mesh, offering more privacy but at a higher cost.
During COVID-19, living conditions in these units made isolation difficult and increased the risk of infection.
70-year-old Uncle L pays $2,400 a month for a tiny space, sharing toilets with 19 other households.
Uncle L has been waiting for public housing for 7 years without success.
More than 133,000 people are on the waiting list for public housing, which can take up to 10 years.
Retirees in coffin homes often rely on government welfare payments to survive.
Social workers like Cai Shan provide additional support to tenants, including food coupons and housing applications.
Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, prioritizes affordable housing but asks for patience as it may take a decade.
A family of three shares a small subdivided flat with 14 other tenants, paying nearly $5,000 in rent.
Mr. T has been waiting for public housing for over 15 years, expressing frustration with the complicated process.
The Hong Kong government is under pressure from Beijing to address the housing crisis with a 2049 deadline.
Cai Shan Wa's motivation for social work stems from a desire to help those in poor conditions and improve policy.
Despite some improvements, the living conditions of the poor in Hong Kong are still unacceptable.
There is a concern that the government may use loopholes to avoid fully addressing the housing crisis.
Cai Shan Wa hopes for the complete elimination of substandard housing in Hong Kong.
Transcripts
[Music]
for all the prosperity and progress that
Hong Kong can boast of its track record
is bogged down by one seemingly
insurmountable problem The Chronic
shortage of affordable housing beneath
the glittery facade of one of the
world's most affluent cities there is no
glossing over the squalid living
conditions of the underprivileged with
more than 210,000 people crammed into
tiny subdivided Flats
if there is one bright light in these
dark settings it may well be CI Shan wa
hello a tireless campaigner for the
downtrodden who has spent more than 20
years helping them secure a roof over
their heads or trying to ease their
suffering in the cramped confines of
what they call home so once we have the
better parcy and they feel not so uh
helpless or they can have more hope this
is uh my mission she gives a voice to
those who have none while living in
Desperate
conditions China's top official
responsible for Hong Kong Affairs has
given the local government a clear
deadline to rid the city of such
unacceptable housing by
2049 but it may be easier said than done
I don't believe my
Governor we go to for four for this
episode of talking post we leave the
comfort of a comparatively spacious
Studio to visit some of this City's
notorious coffin homes to give you an
idea of what life is like for the less
fortunate Among
[Music]
Us Hong Kong's underbelly of substandard
subdivided housing for the poor and
underprivileged is a sorted story that
has been told over and over again for
decades because it's nothing new those
who can afford Better Homes and live in
more Comfort May well be desensitized to
the plight of the less fortunate among
us but it's only when you see it for
yourself up close and personal that you
get a sense of how unacceptable the
situation is in such a prosperous City
take this cage home in Mok for
example can you tell us a little bit
about uh what's the setup here how many
people live here now it is uh still
people living here before it's fully
occupied but now the landord they want
to coose it and then change it to
subdivided otherwise be fully occupy or
even here is the PES of people so now is
around four five people depends on
situation yeah so when you say this is
going to be converted into a subdivided
unit now so it's a bit of an improvement
in living standards right uh I think
compared to what it is now just this
cage home yeah some other cage home
therefore are not not want to C they
still continue and many people they
living yeah and and now actually for
this kind of material um aom is very few
of this kind many of them they are eting
the wood and cannot see inside and they
because they want more piracy but the
ventilation is even poorer yeah and the
and the rent would be more expensive
yeah so whatever Improvement we're
talking about upgrade in living
standards you have to take that with a
pinch of salt because it's all relative
so from these appalling conditions we're
going to have slightly less appalling
when they upgrade that's how it works
right yeah or even for here they said
those new design C even the ventilation
is poor than their based on the official
2021 census the government estimates
that more than
215,000 people live in 10
18,200 subdivided units in Hong
Kong the average size of these units
which command a median monthly rent of
$5,000 is am measly 118 sare ft or 11
square m even smaller than the average
parking space in a city that boasts of
the highest number of rolls-royces per
capita metal cage homes are not as
prevalent as they were in the old days
but can that be called progress the
upgraded alternatives are still coffin
homes partitioned box-like units stacked
from floor to ceiling separated by Thin
wooden boards or wire mesh they come
with more privacy than CAG
but also at a higher
price so we're walking down this
Corridor now and we're looking at all
this in slightly more normal times I
don't think both of us can fit together
but anyway I want to ask you uh you
obviously visit these places regularly
and you check in on the health and
everything how difficult was it during
covid you know our movements were all
curtailed everyone was terrified they
all wearing masks yeah it's hard time
because when one is uh suffer from Co
and then the other they will be easy to
be infed so and and no room to isolate
right isolate is for rich people even
they don't have enough mask so we need
to deliver the mask to them or and then
support them and then even they call the
government how to rehouse them to other
PE their PES separately otherwise they
will be others also in you did your
round still even then when wearing a
mask yeah yeah yeah yeah we we even
doing the pro we we come to visit and
and and help them quite Brave of you
must to be able to do that I can't even
imagine how can you fit in this how do
you get in there yeah it's how you
cannot stand up and then you need to uh
ban yourself to go inside so get up and
then there 20 household here yeah 20
households
yeah among them is 70-year-old Uncle L
who pays
$2,400 a month for the tiny space he
calls Home Sharing two toilets with 19
other
households behind me you can see this is
Uncle L's
house I can't get inside so I have to
sit here to talk to him uh there's a
tiny little toilet just across here so
it's so narrow as you can see but if you
look at his home he's made a nice little
place for himself it's comfortable he's
got a little air corn going out there so
I'm not sweating so much because there's
a little bit of Breeze coming in so you
know people make the both uh make the
best of what they have it's quite
admirable if you think about it Uncle so
how long have you been here 7 years 7
years yeah you live alone
yep have you ever applied for public
housing anything better than this not
yet not yet why not uh here is here by
here a company also I live here almost
20 20 years I I love here all around
here I see because this is your
neighborhood you want to be here where
you know the people your friends are
here and it's more convenient for you so
you're okay even this in this tiny
little space as long as you have your
network of people around you
yeah people like Uncle can be eligible
for an affordable public rental flat but
the prospect of spending up to 10 years
on the waiting list is daunting more
than
133,000 hopefuls are currently in the
queue do you have any hope that maybe
one day you'll be offered something
better I I don't believe my government
you don't believe in the government yeah
so one of the uh targets of our
government is to look at all these homes
like yours and decide which is up to
living standards and which is below
living standards and Below living
standards they want to get rid of it
they want to shut it
down are you worried about uh your
living standards here whether it will be
considered okay for you to continue or
not okay you need to get
out so essentially Uncle Lang here has
no faith in the government he's uh been
there done that has t-shirt and he sees
no hope which is quite sad when you
think about it but this is their
situation and this is the best that they
can uh make out of
it many retirees living in coffin homes
survive on welfare payments from the
government's comprehensive Social
Security assistance and old age
allowance schemes receiving a monthly
sum of around
$5,300 uncle Wong is one of them he has
been living here for 8 years and pays a
monthly rent of 2,800 for his
room social workers like Cai Shan
provide additional support to such
tenants regularly visiting them to hand
out food coupons and help them apply for
better
housing so you can see that this is a a
big upgrade from a cage home but it's
still a little tiny little subdivided
unit and he's just made a really
comfortable place for himself even with
the little space that he
has yeah but the the is not really well
uh renovated sure he's very dangerous
because he de here this is his bed yeah
his bed yeah
yeah anyway they have the IND IND
kitchen the toilet inside yeah but are
you are you okay living by yourself like
this uh this is the best
you
he said I I have many disease I I maybe
not many years to live so so he don't
want to the
others
four F when it's h open you know our
government officials will be watching
this video does he have anything to say
to
them
no he has more years 80 is okay people
live till
90 Hong Kong's leader chief executive
John Lee has made the Quest for
affordable housing a top priority for
his administration whether he will be
able to deliver where his predecessors
could not will be a test of his promise
new style of leadership but Lee has
appealed for patience saying it will
take a decade for the city to build up a
surplus of
homes so we're going into a subdivided
home now and we're going to take a look
at how families and how going live
families with children so they are 14 uh
bed space and then one room 14 bed
spaces in this h yeah there best space
and then one room is for the family
share
together wait
[Music]
hello this Mr J family hello before
actually this room is leaving one man
and they are 3,500 but now because a
person so charge 4,000 for the same
space just because more people are know
who small I think they don't have the 40
x square
ft you know for this size of flat nearly
$5,000 if you look at it per square foot
it's one of the most expensive places in
Hong Kong right yeah yeah yeah too too
expensive this the the rent receipt
4,00 4,800 so it's nearly $5,000 yeah
yeah
uh and then you need to pay for the uh
electricity fee sear yeah yeah so will
be over
5,000 expensive for this one room this
only one room I need to share with other
house 14 household with the the kitchen
and toilet
facilities don't have
K the only
[Music]
toilet two toilets so cooking is inside
the
room Mr T lives with his wife and
daughter in this small room in chims Cho
the family shares a subdivided flat with
14 other tenants who occupy one bed
space
each he earns about $16,000 per month of
which $5,000 is consumed by rent the
rest goes towards his pension fund
transport food bills and his daughter's
schooling so I'm peeking through this
door here and you have this little girl
here doing her homework she's on the
floor and she's on this tiny little
table fold out table and this is how
they get
educated but of course the hope is that
she gets educated and she lives in much
better conditions when she has a proper
job so that's upward Mobility if you can
have upward Mobility when you live
like Mr T has been languishing in the
queue for public housing for more than
15 years starting as a single person and
then joining the waiting list for
families he complains that the
government has made the process too
complicated and wasted much of his
time
for
unlike in the past the Hong Kong
government is now under direct pressure
from Beijing to get a grip on the city's
housing problem Hong Kong and Macau
Affairs office director shaba long has
set 2049 as the deadline for the
elimination of cramped and unsuitable
accommodation in the city it means that
the government has around 26 years left
to meet the
target
for
for
so we're in the common kitchen area of
this whole subdivided uh flat it's been
split into several sections there are
several families living here and this is
their communal area where there's not
much cooking to be done there's a little
bit of a sink there and very very basic
I have to say after looking all of at
all of this tonight I have two main
takeaways one is the importance of
raising awareness about how people in
Hong Kong are living like this and
that's important through a social
activist like her CA Shan who helps
these people out and raises awareness
through the media like us the other
takeaway I must say personally is for
all of us who don't live like this who
live in much better conditions to just
take a step back and to appreciate and
be grateful for what we have considering
that there are so many others who have
nothing of this sort I think that's
really really important for us uh San I
I have to say I admire the work that
you've been doing you've been doing this
for many many years I think you are kind
of kind of a savior for these people I
notice how you slip in a little food
stamp to them when we met these families
and this is very very important but I do
want to ask you it's a bit of a
thankless job it's tough work to visit
these families uh to make sure that
they're okay what's what's your
motivation what reward do you get for
this it's definitely not money uh I
think for myself I when I was young I
studying and then know about the social
and there no pett people in Hong Kong
there even they rich rich Society but we
have many people there even in poor
conditions and so actually I want to do
a job is more meaningful and can help
people so I join the social work field
because sometimes actually there's a
policy problems and it should be solved
by the government and also the community
can help and so once we have the better
policy and once we have more people
they're willing to lend their hand and
um they are empowered and they feel not
so uh helpless or they can have more
hope so they would be uh make them they
living better and make our society
better so this is uh my mission I think
they are more stronger than us because
they in really difficult situations but
they still try their best to overcome
and even in their really difficult
hardship and we can see that we help
each other and then sometimes they help
us actually because we're too much work
low and then be a helper be a volunteer
to help others I think this is really uh
rewarding and this is that that's what I
treasure yeah you've been doing this for
so many years has there been progress
are are we doing better are you hopeful
that it will
eventually be something that Hong Kong
no longer has to be ashamed of because
let's let's let's face it this this is
embarrassing for Hong Kong that people
live like this in this city which is the
most affluent in the world look at the
number of people with rolls-royces and
you know multiple homes and everything
that they have and then at the same time
we have this yeah you're correct
actually we should not have this kind of
housing in Hong Kong actually I join Soo
in 199 at5 so already 20 years AG ago
and uh I think the situation uh if for
those uh living conditions some of the
pools they are they have Improvement but
they are not really really B Improvement
because we still have C home assist and
people they still uh uh living in red
pool condition and besides the r is
going up is is another problems so uh we
hope uh there will be ucation of uh no
cage home No chical No Sa in Hong Kong
this is what we hope and I I actually we
feel happy to to know the government
they have a plan to cause those uh poor
conditions effect this 26 year deadline
that I keep talking to you about that
the government has been given notice by
Beijing um this response was yes they
have set up a task force they will look
into doing this but there was one caveat
that uh has been put out there by the
government and that makes me a little
bit worried because the it it seems to
be like an escape Clause like a loophole
there where they're saying we have to
decide first all these subdivided homes
which is considered up to standard which
we will have to allow and the ones where
the living standards are so poor those
have to be shut down so that means the
huge number of subdivided homes we have
not necessarily all of them will be shut
down at the same time uh so given all
this and looking at the condition of
this particular place for example we saw
something much worse I get the feeling
that something like this the government
would say well this is not so bad
compared to what we just saw there so
this is up to standard so there's no
need to get rid of this but honestly
when I look at this even if it's better
than some of the other units that we
looked at it's still unacceptable yeah
yeah so actually we also worry about it
and and weing and they should be have a
aim is uh finally there's no sub effect
in Hong Kong so they will be stage the
ran for example because we don't have
enough supply of housing so we have
maybe the first first uh batch is the uh
most deprived for the cage home to be ir
and then those very poor so I think they
was set and besides they should set at
how many household they can live and
every everyone at
uh for example uh if uh um the every
person's uh living space is less than
5.5 Square met is already uh not allowed
in the public housing so we think they
should be uh have something to to
measure in their sub one for yeah you
know forgive me for being a little uh
pessimistic but I'm not very hopeful
that this problem how and when is it
going to be solved but I do think people
like you the work that you do is very
important and the fact that you should
not lose hope so I hope you will carry
on doing what you're doing because it's
a great service to Hong Kong so thank
you and I think we we also there we have
you know the process we have many people
there W heart people in Hong Kong they
also very concerned and they join us to
have but I think it's very important for
the people that's good to know support
yeah so all the best for your work
please continue thank
[Music]
you
[Music]
for
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