Information Centre What’s New

The S.K.H. Wong Tai Sin District Elderly Community Centre launched the “Precious Moment in Family with Love” project, which aims to document touching life stories of families that required caregiving for the elderly, help subjects of the documentaries look back on the hurdles they have overcome and rediscover their passion and strength for caregiving, and at the same time, to encourage readers reflect on domestic caregiving as well as promote mutual assistance and love in the community.   With the sponsorship of Koo Tin Lok Charitable Foundation, the centre arranged for volunteers to pen the experiences of 10 families in a book and published it last month. On 14th May, the Wong Tai Sin District Elderly Community Centre organised a get-together for interviewees and volunteers, where Ms Micy Lui, District Social Welfare Officer (Wong Tai Sin/Sai Kung) of the Social Welfare Department, and Director of Koo Tin Lok Charitable Foundation were invited to share the joyful moments.   During the event, guests gifted the short story compilations, photo frames and flowers to attendees to encourage mutual care between family members. The event also included the screening of a short film which documented the feelings of different participating families, who were also present to share their personal feelings with guests. Finally, guests sang in unison a song to conclude the event.   The “Precious Moment in Family with Love” short story compilations will be distributed to the public for free on a first-come-first-served basis. Interested persons can also get one at our centre (G/F, PG Podium Level, Wong Tai Sin Shopping Centre, Lower Wong Tai Sin (II) Estate, Kowloon). For more information, please contact Ms Wong Lai Yin at 2352 3082.

The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council (Welfare Council) received funding from the Urban Renewal Fund in 2018 to operate the 6-year Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail project. On 19th March, the Welfare Council celebrated the grand opening of the Information Centre of the Development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail, where Mr Franco Kwok, JP, District Officer (Kowloon City), Mr Joseph Wong, Chief Executive of Urban Renewal Fund, and Mr Pun Kwok-wah, JP, Chairman of the Kowloon City District Council, hosted the kick-off ritual.    Speaking at the open ceremony, Dr Jane Lee, Director of the Welfare Council, said, “The information centre is a good place to connect people, and exchange opinions with different stakeholders in the community. Through participatory design, we hope to facilitate social participation in the development of Kowloon City and the themed walking trail.”   The information centre can reach stakeholders in the district, promote the walking trail, connect and engage with community. Last year, the Welfare Council also invited elders in the neighbourhood to give advices for the design of the elder-friendly Transformation Hub. Visitors can come to get in touch with the Transformation Hub.   More than that, the Welfare Council designed two mobile applications with AR features, which allowed players to venture into historical stories or visit historical architectures.    Information Centre of the Development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Address:  No. 5, G/F Wan Tung Building115, Tam Kung RoadTo Kwa Wan Opening hours:  Sunday to Thursday: 10:00am to 6:00pm Friday and Saturday: 12:00pm to 8:00pm Closed on Mondays   Learn more about the Development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trailhttps://kowlooncitywalkingtrail.hk/

With its rich experience and broad network, the Welfare Council successfully applied for the Social Welfare Department’s “Pilot Scheme on Multi-disciplinary Outreaching Support Teams for the Elderly”. It was assigned to provide free social and rehabilitation services at more than 170 private, contracted and self-financing residential care homes for the elderly in Kowloon Central (Kowloon City and Yau-Tsim-Mong district), as well as Kowloon East (Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin and Sai Kung District). Launching on 15th February, 2019, the scheme delivered community-focused services through a professional team of social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists. The team of experts would conduct clinical assessments, regular assessments, rehabilitation training and social services for private residential care homes for the elderly, offer professional advices and training to staff from the homes and caregivers, and provide speech therapy to residents of contract or self-financing homes who have swallowing or speech difficulties, all of which addressed the physical, mental, social and spiritual needs of the residents and enhanced their quality of life.   Enquiry: 5599 6838Know more about the scheme: http://www.skhwc.org.hk/en/services/main/4/?sub_id=131

On 30th January, Mr Patrick Nip, Secretary for the Constitutional and Mainland Affair, was invited to visit the Tung Chung Integrated Services of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council. Apart from touring the center’s facilities and learning the centre’s services, Secretary Patrick Nip also sent out early Lunar New Year greetings to the elderly.   For the last two decades, the Tung Chung Integrated Services has been providing all round services to the teenagers and elderly in the community and supporting residents with employment problems. Now, the centre has extended services to Ying Tung Estate, where residents moved last year. In response of the changing needs and increased service demands of society, the Tung Chung Integrated Services has established a new site in third floor of Fu Tung Plaza (beside Tung Chung Nursery School) in addition to the original site in second floor. The new site of around 10,000-sq.ft. has commenced services earlier.   The theme of this new site is “i-Life”, where its design caters to intergenerational needs. The new site features an array of facilities, such as a training area for children with special educational needs, a well-equipped dancing room for the youth as well as an activity-cum-training room for the elderly with cognitive impairment to receive treatments and exercise. Moreover, it provides services to support those with special educational needs, elderly and women employment.   During the visit, a group of elderly demonstrated calligraphy and send out Lunar New Year greetings to everyone in the centre.   Secretary Patrick Nip then visited two families in Tung Chung to exchange views with the residents. Not only did he express care and warm regards to the residents, he also got a better picture of the daily lives and needs of the residents.

To encourage co-living and co-management and relieve the housing burden of some families while at the same time promoting neighbourly culture, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council (Welfare Council) launched the Good Homes—a shared housing project in To Kwa Wan—last year and provided 60 shared units to those in need.   Subsequent to the clean-up activity held at the “Good Homes” in June 2018, the Welfare Council organised a sharing session cum Good Homes House Captains Recognition Ceremony in the afternoon on 6th January, 2019. The Council invited Mr Frank Chan, Secretary for Transport and Housing, Dr Raymond So, Under Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Bonnie Ngan, General Manager of Corporate Communications Department of Henderson Land Development Company Limited, Mr Charles Yang, BBS, JP, Admissions, Budgets and Allocations Committee Chairman of the Community Chest, Mrs Patricia Lau, Deputy Commissioner for Efficiency of Efficiency Office, Mr. Chua Hoi Wai, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) and Dr Luk Che-chung, Steering Committee on Community Housing Movement, to join the representatives from the “Good Homes” project and Dr Jane Lee, Director of the Welfare Council, to enjoy a short video capturing residents’ fond memories at the “Good Homes” and interact with the house captains. Through the event, the Council hoped to recognise the house captains for their contributions, promote co-living, co-management as well as the spirit of mutual help in the community.   During the ceremony, the guests lit up the props in the backdrop to symbolize the project’s aims to relieve families with pressing housing needs and encourage co-living and co-management.   The organiser also invited Secretary Frank Chan to present commendation awards to the house captains, praising them for taking part in the management of the building. Not only did the house captains help clean the communal areas and facilities, they also assisted other neighbours to take precautionary measures during severe typhoon Mangkut, attaching the spirit of co-management.   In spite of their hectic life, Sister Han and Sister Ha, residents of the “Good Homes”, said it was worth sparing time to share the responsibilities of house captains as they could on the one hand help other neighbours, and on the other, make new friends through such meaningful work.   Secretary Frank Chan, guests and media representatives then visited Sister Ha’s family to inspect the living environment of “Good Homes” and learn the lives of residents. Secretary Frank Chan also gifted a fruit basket to the households on behalf of the guests. Sister Ha told that the living condition and quality of life have been greatly improved after moving to the “Good Homes”. She mentioned that residents and social workers would jointly organised varied activities for the households, such as interest classes, potluck parties and after-school classes, which helped expand her social circle and made her become more active and positive.   The Welfare Council’s “Good Homes” project is considered to be the most sizeable project with the largest number of units, compared with other projects under the Community Housing Movement launched by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS). Those who have been waiting for public housing for at least 3 years or living in poor conditions can submit applications for Good Homes. Units will be allocated to eligible applicants who fulfill the Public Rental Housing’s income and total asset limits after the Welfare Council’s assessment and approval. Currently, the Good Homes has an occupancy rate of 80%.   The “Good Homes” project comprises 4 residential towers with 60 units at 68A-70C To Kwa Wan Road, which are provided by the Henderson Land Development Company Ltd. and sponsored by the Community Chest. The project also received funding and assistance from Henderson Land Development Company Ltd and Hong Kong Construction Association for renovation.

The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council (the Welfare Council) held its Annual Meeting for the year 2017 to 2018 on 14th December at the H.K.S.K.H. St James’ Church. The officiating guest, Mrs Cherry Tse, JP, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, joined the Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong, Honorary Patron of the Welfare Council, the Rt Revd Andrew Chan, Bishop of the H.K.S.K.H. Diocese of Western Kowloon, the Rt Revd Dr Timothy Kwok, Bishop of the H.K.S.K.H. Diocese of Eastern Kowloon, members of the Board of Directors and Executive Committees, and almost 1,000 staff members to celebrate the end of another fruitful year.   During the meeting, Dr Donald Li, SBS, OStJ, JP, Chairman of the Welfare Council Board of Directors, noted that the Council involved 3,000 employees at the formulation process of the new 5-Year Strategy Plan last year. This has resulted in the naming of 4 key strategies—“Co-creation with Multidimensional Intervention”, “Technological Application”, “Leadership Development” and “Work Simplicity”.   Looking ahead, the Welfare Council will adopt a two-pronged strategy to reinforce and develop its services. On the one hand, the Council will reinforce its existing professional services to support individuals of different ages and backgrounds in line with its service philosophy—“Personalised Service, Holistic Care”, and on the other, will foster multidisciplinary collaborations by interfacing social services with medical services, technological application, environmental protection and architectural design. Through a multi-interventional approach, the Council could respond to the needs of our ever-changing society.   Moreover, the Welfare Council’s “Servanthood Leadership Development Plan” has been launched after two years of preparation, which aims to cultivate leaders of the Council in the aspects of spiritual growth, management and leadership skills.   Given our officiating guest, Mr Matthew Cheung, Chief Secretary for Administration, could not attend the Annual Meeting due to his busy schedule, Mrs Cherry Tse, JP, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, gave a speech on behalf of him. In her speech, she said the Sheng Kung Hui is not only a religious group but also a social service organisation which is a good partner of the government, and plays a crucial role in improving people’s livelihood and fostering social integration.   She also mentioned that the government would continue to promote collaboration among the community, the business sector and the government so as to facilitate policies on labour, welfare, elderly and supporting the disadvantaged, as well as work together with the public to bring support to those in need. For example, the Social Welfare Department has increased the number of service places of “On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services” launched in 2015 from 3,000 to 7,000, which enabled more kindergartens, kindergarten-cum-child care centres and children with special needs to benefit from the services.   In addition to establishing 5 more district support centres for persons with disabilities and strengthening rehabilitation services, the government would increase the number of support centres for persons with autism from 3 to 5 and provide extra manpower to the centres. The Home Affairs Bureau also expected to offer home-based care services to additional 1,800 disabled persons in the community. To cope with the challenges of an ageing population, the government also set up the $1 billion Innovation and Technology Fund, which has been open for application.   Dr Jane Lee, Director of the Welfare Council, also briefed the attendees on the work we have done in response to different needs of the society:   Housing Problems: The Council has joined the “Community Housing Movement” of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) as one of the operators to provide transitional accommodation to 120 underprivileged families. Located on To Kwa Wan Road, the “Good Homes” project aims to encourage co-living and co-management and promote neighbourly culture. Ageing Population: The increase in the number of elders who have chronic diseases is a trend in our ageing community. Medical-social collaboration is one of the key directions of the Council in response to the increased demand for primary care. The Council ‘s 7 elderly centres have been a part of the “Community e-Health Care Project”, which is funded by Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and hosted by the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association. E-health stations were set up based on a technological and innovative service model, elders were encouraged to build healthy lifestyles. Besides, the Council launched a 3-year pilot project called “E-Therapist” in November. The project was designed to help elders develop and maintain the habit of exercise and improve their knowledge on knee pain, as well as preventing pain from contributing to worsening health conditions. Special Educational Needs (SEN) Service Development: The Council has been offering services under the “Pilot Scheme on On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services” since establishing the “Love to Learn Enhancement Centre” and “We Love: Jockey Club Centre for Family Enhancement”. Upon the regularisation of the services, the Council received funding from the Social Welfare Department to support 275 SEN cases in 45 kindergartens. Meanwhile, the Council joined the second phase of the “JC A-Connect” project, offering training services for students diagnosed with autism in 35 primary and secondary schools, as well as their parents. Services in Ying Tung Estate: The Council has extended its service areas in Tung Chung to Ying Tung Estate. Apart from assigning social workers to visit the estate frequently, the services also organised the weekly “Sunday Playground” and docent tours to help residents settle into their new neighbourhood. Located on the third floor of Fu Tung Plaza (beside Tung Chung Nursery School), the Council’s new centre of around 10,000 sq.ft. has commenced operation. The theme of the new centre is “i-Life”, which will be services for the students with special educational needs, elderly and women employment. Gerontechnology: The Council has joined in the 2nd Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit as one of the six non-governmental organisations participated in the event. The Council also worked with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to customize the robotic companion, Kabo-Chan, and co-designed the Polymeric Optical Fibre (POF) with the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to stimulate the senses of elders with cognitive impairment.   The Welfare Council also celebrated more than 550 of its long-serving staff. Among them, 22 have served more than 25 years, 7 who have served for 30 years, and 1 who have served up to 35 years. Thanks to all staff for their commitment to their roles, the Council has been able to provide caring, professional and quality services all along to people in need.