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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.

The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council successfully held its Charity Raffle 2018 from mid October to November 2018. Obtaining overwhelming support from the S.K.H. communities and all generous donors, the activity has raised more than HK$4.88 million this year. Funds raised from the activity will go to support the incubation of new and innovative services needed in the community and its social support services, thus better suit the needs of individuals who require assistance. On 3rd December, the Welfare Council invited its professional consultants, sponsors, the Sheng Kung Hui’s school representatives and service users to the Charity Raffle 2018 Lucky Draw. All prizes were drawn in the presence of the guests while awards of appreciation were presented to the Sheng Kung Hui’s schools and churches which raised the most fund and exhibited the greatest increase in the amount of donations during the year to thank them for their support.   The representative from the first prize sponsor, Mr Julio Cheng, Executive Director of Vang Iek Motors (Hong Kong) Limited, joined Mr Lo Kin-ming, Honorary Treasurer of the Welfare Council, Dr Jane Lee, Director of the Welfare Council, Mr Wilson Mok, Vice-Chairman, Anglican (Hong Kong) Early Childhood Education Council Limited, Mr Tse Chang Keung, Chief Administrator, Anglican (Hong Kong) Primary Schools Council Limited, Ms Terese Wong, Chairman of the H.K.S.K.H. Women’s League, and the Very Revd Samson Fan of the H.K.S.K.H. All Saints’ Cathedral to draw 35 winning numbers on the spot against a lively atmosphere.   Speaking at the event, Dr Jane Lee, Director of the Welfare Council, said, “The funds raised by Charity Raffle activities over the past 4 years has been dedicated to support the Council’s services and projects, such as the Sheng Kung Hui Stroke Rehabilitation Charity Fund, Project “Act of Love” and Primary School Counselling Service, as well as the development of innovative projects including the “Love Creates Miracles” scheme which allowed young people understand the needs of senior citizens and design tools that would provide them with the support they need. In addition to raffle ticket sales, charity sale items like teddy bear insulated mugs and adorable charity bears were also available this year. We invited senior citizens and volunteers to give play to their talent in designing and creating knitted clothing for the charity bears to make them look more attractive. Meanwhile, we conducted on-street raffle sales, which received keen responses and allowed the public to get to know the Council.”   To express its gratitude to the Sheng Kung Hui’s schools and churches raised the most fund, the Welfare Council gifted the “Most Caring Heart Awards” to the St Mary’s Church (Diocese of Hong Kong Island), Holy Trinity Cathedral (Diocese of Eastern Kowloon), All Saints’ Cathedral (Diocese of Western Kowloon), St Stephen’s Girls’ School (secondary school section), Diocesan Boys' School Primary Division (primary school section) and Sheng Kung Hui Kindergarten (kindergarten section). The Council also established the “Best Progress Awards” this year to encourage the Sheng Kung Hui community to give generously. Recipients of the new awards included the St James’ Church (Diocese of Hong Kong Island), St Mark’s Church (Diocese of Eastern Kowloon), The Church of the Epiphany (Diocese of Western Kowloon), Lee Kau Yan Memorial School (secondary school section), S.K.H. Fung Kei Millennium Primary School (primary school section) and S.K.H. St Peter's Church Kindergarten (Castle Peak) (kindergarten section).   Without the unfailing support of our consultant team, the general public and different individuals and groups, the Charity Raffle 2018 could not have achieved such a huge success. We look forward to your continued support for the charity raffle campaign next year.

Charity Raffle 2018 has come to an end. Thanks for your generous support. Below is the Lucky Draw result on 3rd Dec 2018:     Winners should register by calling 2521 3457 and collect the prizes at Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited’s Headquarters (Address: 12/F, 112 Kennedy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong) during office hours (Mon-Fri: 9:00am-5:30pm) between 7th December 2018 and 11th January 2019 or else prizes will be forfeited. Winners must present the winning raffle tickets at the time of collection. Should you have any queries, please call 2521 3457.

Please download the Annual Financial Report 2017-2018 of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited and S.K.H. St Simon's Social Services by clicking the links below.   Annual Financial Report 2017-2018 of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited Annual Financial Report 2017-2018 of S.K.H. St Simon's Social Services

Since its establishment in 2015, Sheng Kung Hui Stroke Rehabilitation Charity Fund has been helping stroke survivors undergo prompt rehabilitative treatment so that they can get back on their feet.   From today to 15 November, users of SmarTone and 3 can support stroke survivors by sending a blank SMS to 501029. $10 will be donated to the Fund. Act now and light up hopes for them!    Know more about the Fund：http://www.skhwc.org.hk/en/involved/main/16/?project_id=2 Make a donation：http://www.skhwc.org.hk/en/involved/main/17/