The government is planning that permanent local residents aged 65 or over who meet certain conditions will be able to apply to rent a flat in a high-rise housing project for senior citizens, which is being built in an area of Plot P in Areia Preta district, the Social Affairs Bureau (IAS) said in a statement yesterday.
The project comprising two hotel-style apartment towers on a podium, which got off the ground in late 2020, is now slated to be completed in December this year.
The two buildings consisting exclusively of rental flats for seniors, the first of its kind in the government’s housing programme, will have a total of 1,815 studio flats. Various social service facilities will be set up on the podium levels of the rental housing towers.
The Social Welfare Bureau will oversee the future operation of the rental housing estate for seniors on Plot P.
Yesterday’s IAS statement said that the government is now drafting an administrative regulation (by-law) on the criteria for those eligible to apply for such a flat, adding that it expects to complete the drafting before the end of this year. The statement also reaffirmed that senior citizens would be able to move into the flats next year after the completion of the construction at the end of this year.
The rental housing project for seniors on Plot P was first proposed by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng in early 2020, when he said that the project aimed to help senior citizens living in low-rise walk-ups improve their living quality.
Yesterday’s statement said that for the time being the government is planning that permanent local residents aged 65 or over who are able to take care of themselves without the assistance of others will be eligible to apply for a flat at the rental housing estate for seniors on Plot P. The statement also said that the applications’ assessments will be carried out based on various factors such as the applicants’ family structure and current living conditions.
The statement also said that the government will set the rental price of the flats in the project slightly lower than the market price of private residential buildings in the neighbourhood.
The statement also pointed out that the government set up show flats for the rental housing project for seniors in July 2021, on the third floor of the second phase of the Mong Ha social housing estate, officially named Mong Tak Building, which is located on the corner of Rua de Francisco Xavier Pereira and Avenida de Venceslau de Morais. The statement said that 13,565 people had visited the show flats between July 13, 2021 and Monday this week.
The statement also said that the government has revised its original design of the studio flats in the two towers after listening to opinions and suggestions from senior citizens.
According to the statement, the flats will have various barrier-free facilities and devices for keeping seniors safe, in addition to household electrical appliances, furniture and bathroom equipment.
The podium levels of the two towers will feature various facilities such as a club, a garden and shops, the statement said.
This handout photo taken from the Public Works Bureau’s (DSOP) website yesterday shows the construction of the rental housing estate for seniors on Plot P in October last year.
