The Government will continue its efforts in increasing public rental housing supply with an estimated 74,700 units to be completed from 2017 to 2022, a steady increase over the previous four five-year periods.
The Transport & Housing Bureau made the statement in response to media enquiries on the average waiting time announced today for general applicants for public housing as at the end of March.
It said while maximum effort has been made to increase public rental housing supply in recent years, the rate of increase has not been fast enough to absorb the cumulative demand over the years, which in turn prolongs applicants’ waiting time.
When applicants with longer waiting time are eventually allocated with housing units, their longer waiting time will be reflected in the average waiting time.
The bureau noted that as well as new public rental housing units, the Housing Authority also relies on recovered flats to meet demand, with an average of 7,000 units recovered annually.
The body will better utilise its resources to help those with more pressing housing needs, such as by revising the Well-off Tenants Policies and combatting tenancy abuse, it added.
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