History
The Hong Kong Housing Society is the first major public housing agency in Hong Kong. The society, as an independent voluntary agency, was found in 1948 and was incorporated by Ordinance in Hong Kong in 1951.
During the World War II, about a fifth of urban domestic accommodation was damaged or destroyed, a tenth being totally destroyed. With the influx of refugees soon after the war, the population of Hong Kong was growing at an alarming rate, one out of four were considered homeless. Others were under poor housing conditions.
In 1947, £14,000 was donated from the Lord Mayor of London's Air Raid Distress Fund to the Hong Kong Social Welfare Council to alleviate the problem. In 1948, the society was established with the aim of providing self-contained homes for families in need. Its first official meeting was attended by members of the council, Bishop Ronald Hall and other citizens.
With a low-interest loan of HK$2.5 million repayable over 40 years from the Hong Kong government and land granted at a concessionary price, its first estate, Sheung Li Uk in Kowloon, was built the following year after its incorporation. (The estate was redeveloped in 1995 as Cronin Garden.)
By now, about 67,000 units have been built. However, the mission has changed nowadays; the society now acts as a bridge between the government housing and the private market.
Read more about this topic: Hong Kong Housing Society
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