Society

Caring for the Underprivileged

Adopting a people-first approach when delivering our core businesses of redevelopment and rehabilitation, the URA seeks opportunities to engage our partners and help people in need. During 2021/22, we continued to offer some refurbished flats in our acquired properties on Wing Lee Street and Staunton Street, as well as units in our rehousing blocks to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social enterprises for them to lease to underprivileged residents below the market rent.

Meanwhile, the URA’s ‘Home Repair Services Community Programme’ has extended its services to cover common areas including the spraying of anti-virus coating, cleaning of patios and conducting minor repair works for old buildings in Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po districts in 2021/22, benefitting over 800 families.

In addition, since January 2022, we have supported Food Angel by offering free space at Yue Man Square in Kwun Tong to set up their first smart food donation machine for the public to donate surplus food. The food collected will support Food Angel to prepare meals and food packs for those in need. We have also supported another of their initiatives by placing automated food dispensing machines at Yue Man Square and 618 Shanghai Street in Mong Kok for free, providing cook-chill meals 24 hours a day to the underprivileged, especially those working irregular hours. Up to June 2022, over 72,000 meal boxes have been distributed.

The URA continues to bring our love and care to the residents in the old districts through a series of programmes under the Community Service Partnership Scheme (CSPS). Partnering with local universities and NGOs, activities organised under CSPS included making bespoke furniture for families living in sub-divided units to improve their living conditions and study environment.

Educating the Community

The URA seeks to enhance the general public’s understanding of different facets of urban renewal through its educational facilities. In 2021/22, the Urban Renewal Exploration Centre collaborated with the Eastern District Office, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Vocational Training Council and the Planning Department to promote urban renewal works to tertiary and secondary students, as well as professionals from various sectors, with tailored itineraries and contents. Around 2,700 visitors were recorded during the year. Meanwhile, the Urban Renewal Resource Centre served around 26,000 members of the public through briefings, meetings, community activities, mediation and enquiry handling services on matters relating to building repair and maintenance. In addition, guided tours were arranged to the URA’s preservation and revitalisation projects including Central Market and 618 Shanghai Street to raise public understanding of the URA’s work in the upkeep and rejuvenation of historical buildings.

Grooming Our Next Generation

The ‘oUR Amazing Kid Band’, a URA initiative to strengthen the social network of participating kids and their families in To Kwa Wan, continued to conduct weekly online classes and parent-child classes during school suspension amidst the pandemic. Comprising 46 band members, of whom over 60% were residing or had resided in the URA’s project sites, the Kid Band in 2021/22 strengthened its community presence by giving public performances and virtual visits to elderly centres operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs).

To raise the understanding of urban renewal among the youth, the URA co-organised with TWGHs the Young Leaders Programme 2021/22 to inspire secondary school students to devise creative proposals for enhancing the liveability of old district in To Kwa Wan through the application of spatial data. In collaboration with ESRI China, a total of 144 students attended training workshops on geographic information system to equip with knowledge and skill in the use of the application.

Promoting Arts and Culture in Old District

Urban renewal stresses also on the appreciation of local arts and culture which represent the characteristics of the old districts. In 2021/22, our ‘Arts and Cultural Partnership Programme in Old Urban Districts’ supported three new programmes and six ongoing programmes, reaching out to over 10,000 people. These programmes included activities to enliven old urban districts by bringing enjoyment to local residents and the general public who gathered to appreciate local characteristics. Since the programme inception, the URA has supported a total of 69 arts and cultural programmes, benefitting more than 686,000 people.