NGOs call for more accessible heat shelters in Hong Kong as survey finds facilities underused
According to a survey that Greenpeace Hong Kong and homelessness charity ImpactHK conducted in June and July, around 65 per cent of respondents said they had not used heat shelters during the city's sweltering summer months.
More than half of those who had not used heat shelters cited inconvenient locations as a main reason.
Among the 97 people surveyed, some 90 per cent were rough sleepers, while the remaining respondents lived in inadequate housing such as subdivided units or 'coffin homes.'
The Home Affairs Department has 109 community halls and centres citywide, of which 19 are listed as temporary heat shelters — about one for each district.
'But we still can see that there are many people who find that these heat shelters are too far away,' said Greenpeace campaigner Tom Ng at a press conference on Tuesday.
He said that the government could open more community facilities as temporary heat shelters, so it would not be necessary for the authorities to build new ones.
However, he suggested those facilities should be within a 15-minute walking distance from where residents in need usually live, especially considering some rough sleepers might have disabilities or mobility issues.
As an example, he mentioned Tung Chau Street in Sham Shui Po, known as a location where a large homeless population resides. The nearest heat shelter, Shek Kip Mei Community Hall, is a 17-minute walk away, while Nam Cheong District Community Centre, which is closer, is not designated as a heat shelter.
The NGOs mentioned other governments' policy on heat shelters. For example, Berlin is planning to shorten the maximum travel time to a heat shelter from the current 10 minutes to five minutes by 2030.
The study also found that heat shelters in districts including the Yau Tsim Mong area, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, and Tsuen Wan were insufficient to serve low-income communities.
Negative experience
The Greenpeace-ImpactHK survey also found that more than a third of respondents who had not used heat shelters said they were not aware of the existence of such facilities, and that more than 80 per cent believed government messaging and announcements were insufficient.
Meanwhile, most respondents who had used heat shelters rated their experience negatively, with privacy receiving the lowest rating at 2.34 on a five-point scale, and 2.77 for opening hours and staff attitude. Some also said their belongings were stolen during their stay at the heat shelters.
Isaac Ho, programme manager at ImpactHK, said at the press conference that those experiences would discourage people from utilising heat shelters and increase their risk of heat-related illnesses.
A separate survey released on Sunday by two concern groups, CarbonCare InnoLab and the Kwai Chung Subdivided Units Kai Fong Association, found that summer nights in Hong Kong's subdivided flats could feel as hot as 44°C in July.
More than 70 per cent of respondents said the extreme heat left them feeling fatigued, with frequent heat-related symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and heart palpitations.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
2 days ago
- HKFP
NGOs call for more accessible heat shelters in Hong Kong as survey finds facilities underused
A green group and a homelessness charity have called on the Hong Kong government to make temporary heat shelters more accessible after finding that a majority of residents in need had not used the facilities. According to a survey that Greenpeace Hong Kong and homelessness charity ImpactHK conducted in June and July, around 65 per cent of respondents said they had not used heat shelters during the city's sweltering summer months. More than half of those who had not used heat shelters cited inconvenient locations as a main reason. Among the 97 people surveyed, some 90 per cent were rough sleepers, while the remaining respondents lived in inadequate housing such as subdivided units or 'coffin homes.' The Home Affairs Department has 109 community halls and centres citywide, of which 19 are listed as temporary heat shelters — about one for each district. 'But we still can see that there are many people who find that these heat shelters are too far away,' said Greenpeace campaigner Tom Ng at a press conference on Tuesday. He said that the government could open more community facilities as temporary heat shelters, so it would not be necessary for the authorities to build new ones. However, he suggested those facilities should be within a 15-minute walking distance from where residents in need usually live, especially considering some rough sleepers might have disabilities or mobility issues. As an example, he mentioned Tung Chau Street in Sham Shui Po, known as a location where a large homeless population resides. The nearest heat shelter, Shek Kip Mei Community Hall, is a 17-minute walk away, while Nam Cheong District Community Centre, which is closer, is not designated as a heat shelter. The NGOs mentioned other governments' policy on heat shelters. For example, Berlin is planning to shorten the maximum travel time to a heat shelter from the current 10 minutes to five minutes by 2030. The study also found that heat shelters in districts including the Yau Tsim Mong area, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, and Tsuen Wan were insufficient to serve low-income communities. Negative experience The Greenpeace-ImpactHK survey also found that more than a third of respondents who had not used heat shelters said they were not aware of the existence of such facilities, and that more than 80 per cent believed government messaging and announcements were insufficient. Meanwhile, most respondents who had used heat shelters rated their experience negatively, with privacy receiving the lowest rating at 2.34 on a five-point scale, and 2.77 for opening hours and staff attitude. Some also said their belongings were stolen during their stay at the heat shelters. Isaac Ho, programme manager at ImpactHK, said at the press conference that those experiences would discourage people from utilising heat shelters and increase their risk of heat-related illnesses. A separate survey released on Sunday by two concern groups, CarbonCare InnoLab and the Kwai Chung Subdivided Units Kai Fong Association, found that summer nights in Hong Kong's subdivided flats could feel as hot as 44°C in July. More than 70 per cent of respondents said the extreme heat left them feeling fatigued, with frequent heat-related symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and heart palpitations.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Burst pipe in Hong Kong's North Point leaves thousands without water, electricity
A burst water main in Hong Kong's North Point on the weekend has left around 2,600 residents without water and 130 households without electricity, authorities have said, while emergency repair work continues. The Home Affairs Department on Monday said the Water Supplies Department completed repairs on the water pipe early in the morning and that the water supply had resumed. However, electricity at Ming Yuen Centre, a residential building near the damaged main, had yet to be restored. 'Regarding the power supply, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and [electricity provider] HK Electric have been on site, providing support to the building's incorporated owners, management company and their contractors,' a Home Affairs Department spokesman said. 'The goal is to restore power as soon as it is safe to do so.' At 2.25pm, the Post observed that workers from HK Electric, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Water Supplies Department and building staff were still working on repairs at Ming Yuen Centre. A construction worker said he expected electricity to be restored in 'hours', but could not provide a concrete timeline. A woman in her 70s surnamed Sze, who lives on the 25th floor with her 79-year-old husband, said they planned to stay away until the power was restored.
South China Morning Post
26-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
2,000 people left without power in Hong Kong after water leak in building
About 2,000 people, including residents in three care homes for the elderly, were left without electricity on Saturday evening after a water leak in a Hong Kong complex prompted the power provider to suspend the supply. Advertisement Utility firm CLP Power said the electrical systems in I-Feng Mansions in To Kwa Wan were suspected to have been affected by water leakage, causing problems with the electricity supply to parts of the residential complex. 'Under the instruction of firefighters, CLP Power suspended the electricity supply to the premises at around 6.15pm so that the building's electricians could conduct further investigation and repairs,' a company spokesman said. The firm said about 900 clients, including three homes for the elderly, had been affected by the move, with the government estimating 2,000 residents in 800 households were hit. It added that the building's electricians had arrived to carry out emergency repairs with backup support from CLP Power engineering staff. Water leakage is suspected to have affected the complex's electrical systems. Photo: Google Maps The company said that its community support team was working with the Home Affairs Department, district councillors and community care teams to provide affected residents with lights and portable batteries.
