CCF to accept applications from two-person households for second round of living subsidy for non-public housing and non-CSSA households
The following is issued on behalf of the Community Care Fund Secretariat:
The Community Care Fund (CCF) will start accepting applications from two-person households for the second round of the One-off Living Subsidy for Low-income Households Not Living in Public Housing and Not Receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) programme (the 2021 Programme) from tomorrow (February 1).
Beneficiaries should currently be renting accommodation on a monthly basis (or for longer tenures) in private housing, industrial buildings, commercial buildings or social housing operated by non-governmental organisations (NGOs); renting bedspaces offered under the Home Affairs Department's Singleton Hostel Programme or bedspaces in hostels operated by NGOs for rehabilitated offenders; residing in temporary housing; living on board vessels; or homeless. Their monthly income must not exceed the specified limits. They should not be receiving CSSA or own any property in Hong Kong. For persons renting accommodation in private housing, industrial buildings, commercial buildings or social housing, their monthly rent should not exceed the specified rent limits. The income and rent limits for two-person households are $22,000 and $11,000 respectively.
Eligible households that benefited from the first round of the Programme (the 2020 Programme) which was launched during the period from July 2 to November 30, 2020 (i.e. old applicant households) can also benefit, among those two-person households will receive notification for confirming eligibility from the Secretariat starting from February. Old applicant households who still meet the eligibility criteria of the 2021 Programme should complete the reply slip with appendices (if appropriate) attached to the notification and return it to the service unit which assisted to process the application of the household concerned under the 2020 Programme or the Secretariat to confirm eligibility on or before May 31. Upon verification of the eligibility, the Secretariat will send notification of the eligibility verification result to the applicant households. The Secretariat will arrange to disburse the subsidy to eligible households according to their chosen method under the 2020 Programme (i.e. either through bank transfer or by order cheque).
If there are changes in the situation of old applicant households (such as there are new eligible members and/or changes of the specified applicant), they are still required to complete the reply slip and return it to the Secretariat. The Secretariat will forward these households' information to the relevant service units, which will contact the households to submit a specified application form (i.e. Form 1).
New applicant households should submit application forms (i.e. Form 2) together with copies of all the required documents to respective service units near their residences either in person or by post starting from tomorrow. Households comprising solely elderly persons aged 60 or above, households comprising solely young persons aged 24 or below or the homeless can submit applications to elderly service units, youth service units or service units accepting applications from the homeless respectively. Owing to the latest development of COVID-19, some service units may have suspended service or are only providing limited non-emergency service. Applicants are advised to submit applications by post. Applicants who wish to submit applications to the service units in person are suggested to call the service units for the operating hours. Service units may require applicants to make bookings in advance.
The Secretariat and service units will vet each application, including verifying the eligibility, checking the supporting documents submitted, and conducting home visits/means tests on selected applications. The Secretariat will issue notifications of results to applicants after vetting applications and disburse the subsidy to eligible households. If households choose to receive the subsidy through bank transfer, the subsidy will be deposited into the bank accounts as specified in their application forms through autopay. For households who choose to receive the subsidy in the form of order cheques, the service units concerned will inform them to collect the cheques in person at the service units before the specified period.
The 2021 Programme was launched on January 4 to relieve the financial pressure on low-income households. The Secretariat started accepting new applications from one-person households on the same day. The CCF will accept applications from and verify the eligibility of three-person households and all households from March 1 and April 1 to May 31 respectively.
For details of the 2021 Programme, please visit the CCF website (www.communitycarefund.hk). Enquiries can be addressed to the enquiry hotline of the Programme at 2180 6666 or the 220 service units assisting in the implementation of the Programme.