Area served Hong Kong | Product public housing | |
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Founded 1948 (incorporated 1951) Type Non-profit non-governmental organisation Location 29/F, World Trade Centre, Hong Kong Owner Hong Kong Housing Society | ||
The Hong Kong Housing Society (Chinese: 香港房屋協會) or Housing Society (房屋協會, 房協) for short, is the second largest public housing provider in Hong Kong (the first being the Hong Kong Housing Authority). The Society housed 147,346 residents as of 2012.
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The society is a non-governmental organisation and non-profit organisation. The Chairman of the society is Marco Wu (鄔滿海) and the chief executive officer and Executive Director is Wong Kit-loong (黃傑龍).
History
The Hong Kong Housing Society was the first major public housing agency in Hong Kong. The society, as an independent voluntary agency, was founded in 1948 and was incorporated by Ordinance in Hong Kong in 1951.
During World War II, about one 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 grew 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 Estate (上李屋邨) in Sham Shui Po, was built the following year after its incorporation. It was designed by Stanley Feltham. The estate was redeveloped in 1995 as Cronin Garden.
To date, about 67,000 units have been built. However, the mission has changed: the society now acts as a bridge between the government housing and the private market.
Services
Some of the services that the HKHS provides are: