Community Care Fund-Subsidy for Low-Income Persons Who Are
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Community Care Fund Subsidy for Low-income Persons who are Inadequately Housed Programme Brief 1. Objective The Steering Committee on the Community Care Fund (CCF) endorsed to launch the assistance programme to provide a subsidy for low-income persons who are inadequately housed (the programme) to relieve their financial pressure. The programme is administered by the CCF Secretariat (the Secretariat), and community service units operated by 14 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) subvented by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) will assist in implementing the programme. The list of these units is at the Annex. 2. Eligibility Criteria Target beneficiaries should meet all the following criteria when submitting an application1: (a) (i) Persons renting on a monthly basis (or for longer tenures) rooms/cubicles, cocklofts or bedspaces in private permanent housing2 (excluding those renting an entire self-contained unit or those renting sub-divisions of flat units with individual entrance door3); (ii) Persons renting bedspaces offered under the Home Affairs Department’s Singleton Hostel Programme; (iii) Persons residing in temporary housing4; or (iv) Homeless persons5; (b) The average monthly household income in the past 3 months6 shall not exceed the specified 1 The “application date” of the programme shall be the date the duly completed application form (together with copies of all the required documents) is submitted to the community service unit which assists in implementing the programme. 2 Including all private residential flats, villas/bungalows/modern village houses, simple stone structures/traditional village houses, staff quarters, and flats under the Home Ownership Scheme and the Tenants Purchase Scheme that are not bounded by alienation restrictions, but excluding industrial and commercial buildings. 3 i.e. Sub-divisions of flat units with an individual entrance door directly leading to common areas (such as common corridors, the lift lobby or the building’s staircases). 4 Including Temporary Housing Area units and private temporary housing such as roof-top structures, contractor’s matsheds, nissen huts, huts and places not intended for residential purpose (such as landings, staircases, corridors, etc.), but excluding vessels. 5 Homeless persons include: (a) Street sleepers; (b) Persons residing in the following temporary shelter/urban hostel for single persons operated by NGOs: (i) Caritas – Hung Hom Hostel; (ii) Street Sleepers’ Shelter Society Trustees Incorporated’s Shamshuipo Shelter, Yaumatei Shelter and Wanchai Shelter; (iii) The Salvation Army’s Yee On Hostel; (iv) Christian Concern for the Homeless Association’s Home of Abundant Grace, Home of Promise and Grace Hostel; (v) St. James’ Settlement’s Li Chit Street Single Persons Hostel; (vi) Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council’s Jockey Club Lok Fu Hostel for Single Persons; (vii) Pok Oi Hospital Jockey Club Hostel for Single Persons; (viii) Missionaries of Charity’s Home of Love; and (c) Persons residing in the Housing Department’s Po Tin Transit Centre, Tuen Mun and Lung Tin Transit Centre, Tai O. 6 The average monthly household income in the past 3 months refers to the average monthly household income of the 3 months prior to the submission of application (i.e. the average of the total monthly income of the applicant and household members residing with him/her), including earnings from employment and other income (i.e. including salary, double pay/leave pay, job allowance, bonus/commission/tips, fees for rendering services, profits from business/investment, alimony, contribution from relatives/friends, interests from fixed deposits, stock and shares, etc., rental income, monthly pension/widow’s and children’s compensation). Employee’s mandatory contribution to a Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme, payment under Government’s “Scheme $6,000”, financial assistance provided by Government, charitable donations and financial assistance from other assistance programmes of the CCF, etc. of the applicant and household members residing with him/her are however not included. When calculating the monthly household income, applicants can refer to the monthly average of the two irregular income items (i.e. double pay and bonus) accumulated over the respective period of time. 1 income limit applicable to the relevant household size below: Household size (persons) Specified household income limit ($) 1 8,740 2 13,410 3 17,060 4 20,710 5 23,640 6 or above 26,590 (c) For persons renting rooms/cubicles, cocklofts or bedspaces in private permanent housing, the average monthly rent paid in the past 3 months7 shall not exceed the specified rental limit applicable to the relevant household size below: Household size (persons) Specified household rental limit ($) 1 4,370 2 6,705 3 8,530 4 10,355 5 11,820 6 or above 13,295 (d) Not receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA)8; (e) Neither the applicant nor household members9 own any property in Hong Kong (including jointly owned properties); and (f) Hong Kong Permanent Residents, or holders of Hong Kong Identity Card who do not belong to those who have entered Hong Kong not for the purpose of settlement, and/or those who have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Immigration Department (ImmD) that they have the 10 11 financial means to sustain their living in Hong Kong before issuance of visas/entry permits. 7 Refers to the average monthly rent paid for the 3 months prior to the submission of application and according to the amount shown on the rental receipt. 8 In case some members of the applicant’s household are receiving CSSA, his/her application will still be processed. However, these persons should be excluded for the purpose of calculating the number of household members, income, rent and subsidy amount. 9 Household members refer to all persons residing with the applicant. 10 Persons who have entered Hong Kong not for the purpose of settlement, and/or those who have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the ImmD that they have the financial means to sustain their living in Hong Kong before issuance of visas/entry permits include:. (a) Persons admitted into Hong Kong under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme and their dependants; (b) Persons admitted into Hong Kong under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and their dependants; (c) Persons admitted into Hong Kong for employment as imported workers under the Supplementary Labour Scheme; (d) Persons admitted into Hong Kong under the Working Holiday Scheme; (e) Foreign domestic helpers; (f) Visitors; or (g) Persons admitted under the following immigration policies/arrangements and their dependants: (i) Training; (ii) Study; (iii) Employment under the General Employment Policy; (iv) Investment under the General Employment Policy (i.e. to establish or to join in a business); (v) Employment under the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals; or (vi) Employment under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates. 2 In addition, the beneficiaries of another CCF programme, “Subsidy for Elderly Tenants in Private Housing”, will not be eligible for subsidy under this programme12. 3. Submission of Documents Duly completed application forms, together with copies of the following required documents, should be submitted13 to any community service unit which assists in implementing the programme and nearby the applicants’ residence during the period from 8 October 2012 to 8 April 2013. The homeless can submit their applications to the community service units for homeless persons (the list of community service units is at the Annex). (a) Hong Kong Identity Card14 of the applicant and all household members (may choose to produce the original copies in person at the community service units); (b) (If applicable) rental receipts for renting rooms/cubicles, cocklofts or bedspaces in buildings under the private permanent housing category (showing any of the applicant or household members as the tenant of the acommodation concerned and the monthly rent); (c) (If applicable) documentary proof of living in the following hostels/shelters (e.g. the rental receipts or occupation certificates issued by the hostels/shelters): (i) The bedspaces under the Singleton Hostel Programme operated by the Home Affairs Department; (ii) Temporary shelter/urban hostel for single persons operated by NGOs (see Footnote 5); or (iii) Po Tin Transit Centre in Tuen Mun and Lung Tin Transit Centre in Tai O operated by the Housing Department; (d) (For applicants who choose to receive the subsidy through direct payment into bank accounts) documentary proof of bank account (e.g. the relevant page of passbook showing the name of the account holder or bank statement of the bank account concerned15); and (e) (For household members who are mentally incapacitated) supporting documents which prove that the household member concerned is mentally incapacitated (e.g. certificates issued by registered medical practitioners of Hong Kong). 4. Notes to Applicants (a) Applications should be made on a “household” basis, yet there is no requirement on the relationship among the persons in a household. (b) For households with more than one person, each household should nominate one eligible 11 In case some members of the applicant’s household fail to meet this criterion, his/her application will still be processed. However, these persons should be excluded for the purpose of calculating the number of household members, income, rent and subsidy amount. 12 In case some members of the applicant’s household are