DREAM Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities officially opens (with photos)

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, and the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, officiated at the opening ceremony of DREAM Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities (DREAM Centre) located in Kowloon City District today (December 3).
 
     Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Chan said that the Government has always attached great importance to providing support for ethnic minorities. To strengthen support services for ethnic minorities and help them integrate into the local community, the Chief Executive announced in the 2023 Policy Address that two new support service centres will be set up in 2024, one in New Territories East and the other in Kowloon Central, increasing the number of support service centres to 10.
 
     Further to increasing the number of support service centres, he added that as announced in the 2024 Policy Address, the Government will invite one more existing support service centre, together with the existing Centre for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents (CHEER Centre), to provide interpretation and translation services for ethnic minorities in 2025, to alleviate the inconvenience they face due to language barriers. He expressed hope that these new measures will further promote the integration of ethnic minorities into the community.
 
     Other officiating guests included the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Ms Shirley Lam; the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung; the Director of Home Affairs, Mrs Alice Cheung; the Chairman of Advisory Committee of International Social Service Hong Kong Branch (ISS-HK), Mr Kenneth Kwok; and the Chief Executive of ISS-HK, Mr Stephen Yau.
 
     The existing eight support service centres for ethnic minorities are located in Wan Chai, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Tung Chung and Kwai Tsing. The two additional centres are situated in Kowloon City and Sha Tin (the one in Sha Tin will officially open later this month). DREAM Centre, operated by ISS-HK, is located at Shop No. 501, 5th Floor, Kowloon City Plaza, 128 Carpenter Road, Kowloon City. The centre provides a wide range of support services for ethnic minorities, including language classes, interest classes, after-school tutorial classes, youth activities, and integration activities, as well as counselling and referral services. In addition, DREAM Centre will assist ethnic minorities in accessing public services, including provision of workstations for accessing the Internet and distribution of multilingual service guidebooks and leaflets on services provided by the Government and non-profit-making organisations. The Ethnic Minority Care Team set up by DREAM Centre has also commenced service in tandem.
 
     Except for public holidays, DREAM Centre operates seven days a week. The operating hours are from 9am to 6.30pm on Mondays and from 9am to 9pm from Tuesdays to Sundays.
 
     Members of the public may call DREAM Centre's hotline at 3104 4044 for more information about the centre.