Hong Kong’s tiny subdivided homes, notorious for poor living conditions, are expected to be regulated after the city leader looks at a proposal from a cross-departmental task force this month. Hong Kong homemaker Ng Yuk-fung’s life changed in many ways after a “community living room” opened last November just 10 minutes from her subdivided flat in Tsuen Wan. Home for Ng, her husband and eight-year-old son was a 100 sq ft space, where they could only sit on the bed, and swelter in the summer heat to save on electricity costs from switching on the air conditioner.
She had only a single electric stove for cooking, and hung the laundry to dry indoors or on their building’s rooftop. Since November, Ng and her son, Alvin Leung Wing-tung, have been regular visitors to the 3,000 sq ft community living room run by NGO Caritas Hong Kong for tenants of subdivided homes. It is fully air-conditioned, has sofas and a television set, a communal kitchen with 12 stoves, two ovens and two refrigerators, and a laundry area with washing and drying machines.
Everything is free of charge. Ng, 39, has made friends with other tenants preparing meals together in the kitchen. Alvin, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and always grumbled he had nobody to play with, began mixing with other children and his social skills improved.
“I had a hard time taking care of him as he doesn’t listen to me,” she said. “We often hurt each other with words and anger, but now he has lear.