‘Is there a choice or no choice?’: Gov’t handling of long-term housing frustrates Tai Po fire survivors

2026-02-01 - 00:08

Luk’s family lost three units in the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire. His flat and his parents’ flat were on the 31st floor of Wang Tai House, the second building that caught fire on November 26. His brother’s flat was located in Wang Chi House, the sole block untouched by the blaze, which killed 168 people – Hong Kong’s deadliest in nearly eight decades. However, the building is still off-limits. Wang Fuk Court buildings on December 29, 2025, one month after the deadly fire. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “We bought flats in Wang Fuk Court because we wanted to stay near my parents,” said Luk, who asked to be identified only by his surname due to privacy concerns. The 46-year-old grew up in the Tai Po housing estate. “I went to kindergarten and primary school here. I got married and had kids here. What we lost weren’t just houses but also three generations of memories and homes.” After the fire, all 14 members of the three households stayed with Luk’s sister at her Tai Po village house for the first two weeks. Luk said they opted out of emergency government housing because they wanted to stay together and in the area. Their lives are inextricably linked to Tai Po. “If we went for government housing, we might be scattered across [different] places,” he said. All six children in his and his brother’s families “go to school in Tai Po,” he added. “We cannot move far.” The extended family is now living in a rented village house as they anxiously await the government’s long-term housing plan. “Of course, we’d like to return to our homes in the old location,” he said. “We never thought of leaving... we were planning to retire there.” The residential estate Wang Fuk Court overlooking the Tolo Harbour on January 30, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Two months after the massive inferno ripped through seven of Wang Fuk Court’s eight blocks, long-term housing remains an unresolved issue for the nearly 5,000 people who survived the fire. Mixed signals from the government have left residents anxious and confused. Numerous plans have been floated. Amongst residents, the hope of returning and rebuilding at the old Tai Po site is popular. However, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, who heads the government task force arranging emergency accommodation for residents, deemed the option of rebuilding on-site “unrealistic,” saying it would take 10 years to complete. His remarks came days after social workers distributed a government survey to canvass residents’ views on housing settlement options, which included the option of rebuilding on site. 💡HKFP grants anonymity to known sources under tightly controlled, limited circumstances defined in our Ethics Code. Among the reasons senior editors may approve the use of anonymity for sources are threats to safety, job security or fears of reprisals. Wong’s comments riled residents. “So is there a choice or is there no choice?” asked Pat, who used a pseudonym for fear of political retaliation. “We lost our homes without a choice; I guess we also may not have a choice to voice how we feel about where we should go.” Rebuilding old home Pat and other residents initiated a petition to express their hopes of rebuilding at the original site. A total of 1,155 people from 394 households signed the petition, which was delivered to Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and Beijing’s Liaison Office on January 14. Pat said they had tried softer ways to approach the government but felt unheard and sidelined. Under these circumstances, they had to do something more. Black ribbons hang on railings near Wang Fuk Court on January 30, 2026, two months after a deadly fire. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “It just felt like the government doesn’t want to consider it because it could be more troublesome and more complicated for them,” Pat said. “Since [the Hong Kong government] does not really want to listen, we decided to go to someone with more power.” Luk also found the government survey strange, describing the questions as perfunctory. It was basically a way to say that rebuilding at the original site is off the table, he said. “Then why ask for our thoughts if it’s not an option?” he said. Another resident, Isabelle Cheung, said she also preferred moving back into a rebuilt unit at the original site. Cheung, in her 40s, had lived in Wang Fuk Court her whole life. “I’d even consider moving back in now if our flat were livable, but there is no water and no electricity,” said Cheung, who is the main carer for her elderly mother. “It was beautiful... it was renovated well. It took years to put together the home.” In the survey, the government floated nine permanent rehousing options, including cross-district “flat-for-flat” relocation, in-district relocation, and on-site redevelopment. Wang Fuk Court resident Isabelle Cheung in her temporary housing unit in Aberdeen. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Cross-district housing offers a “flat-for-flat” scheme in Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) developments outside Tai Po. The earliest units will be available from September this year, according to the survey. The in-district relocation option involves developing a new housing estate elsewhere in Tai Po, while on-site redevelopment entails tearing down and rebuilding the existing buildings of Wang Fuk Court. Cheung said the proposals were vague and lacked sufficient detail for her to make any informed choices. For example, with the “flat-for-flat” scheme, the survey didn’t indicate the size of the flats available or how the calculations would work, she said. “Our home was roughly 440 square feet. If they give us something that’s 200-odd square feet, I’m not sure we would take it,” she said. She also criticised the survey, saying: “The questions were difficult because they were not concrete.” Cheung favours redevelopment of the current blocks, but the government’s lack of enthusiasm makes her wary about whether that would be possible. Six cross-district rehousing plans proposed for Wang Fuk Court victims by the government. Photo: Housing Authority. “If it’s not possible to move back to the same location [at Wang Fuk Court], I just hope we’ll get to exchange for a flat that is at least 400 square feet,” she said. A 41-year-old resident surnamed Hui and her family of five are currently staying in government accommodation in Cheung Sha Wan and will soon have to start paying rent of around HK$8,000. “We’re waiting for confirmed housing proposals,” said Hui, who asked not to be fully identified, citing fear of political repercussions. “It’s still very confusing at the moment, and there are not a lot of details.” Hui is not opposed to the government buying ownership, provided that the buyout price is reasonable and her family can use the cash to purchase a similarly sized flat. As for a “flat-for-flat” arrangement, she also hopes for a flat of a comparable size. Unlike other residents who spoke with HKFP, Hui prefers not to move back to the fire site. Police Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) personnel in a Wang Fuk Court building on November 27, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “A lot of people died, I am scared to move back there, to be honest,” she said. “I think residents should have options to choose from.” However, Hui said the government’s plans – from housing proposals to subsidies – seemed to be made without a real understanding of residents’ needs. “It’s all just unilaterally decided, without really considering what we need,” she said, while also expressing fear about further voicing her opinions or criticising the government too much due to possible retaliation. ‘Top-down’ approach Kenneth Chan, a political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University and former lawmaker, agreed with the residents’ criticisms. “Now things are very top-down, and for residents, it feels like they have lost the autonomy and voice to deal with a very complicated issue,” he said. Hong Kong Baptist University Associate Professor Kenneth Chan. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. In the past, more advocacy groups and lawmakers spoke out for victims’ rights. However, in the aftermath of the fire, there was a crackdown on grassroots relief efforts, as well as on critical voices demanding accountability. “In the current political climate, anything too critical could be seen as ‘troublemaking,’” Chan said. “And those who want to help are intimidated.” Robust resettlement proposals need discussion and deliberation, and that in turn requires participation from residents, along with a civic space for those conversations, he added. “And in order for there to be civic space, the government needs to cooperate.” Wang Fuk Court resident Jason Kong shared a similar opinion. “Plans need to be discussed,” said the 64-year-old. “It shouldn’t be one-sided.” Kong, who bought his flat when he was 21, had lived in Wang Fuk Court since the estate was opened in 1983. It was also where he and his wife raised their two sons. He, too, prefers the plan to rebuild at the original site. An interior designer by trade, Kong said it would be possible to rebuild in three years – not a decade as the government has claimed. “Rebuilding shouldn’t be written off,” he said. Wang Fuk Court resident Jason Kong in his new temporary housing unit in Hung Shui Kiu. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. However, Kong said there should be options for residents who have differing needs. “Those who are older may not want to wait for a rebuild and would be happy with a smaller public housing unit and a cash lump sum so they can live out their days,” he said. “For the younger folks with children, their priority would be location and size.” Policy dilemma The Wang Fuk Court fire presents a complex and difficult rehousing challenge for the government due to the scale of the disaster and the number of victims involved, said Anthony Cheung, a public administration professor at the Education University of Hong Kong and former secretary for transport and housing. “We are talking about 1,900 households that need accommodation,” he said. “There is no precedent to go on.” In the past, the government had only a policy to provide emergency and short-term housing to victims. Those who met the social security thresholds would be in a shorter queue for public housing, while other victims would eventually have to find their own long-term housing, he added. Former secretary for transport and housing Anthony Cheung. File Photo: GovHK. “From a policy perspective, the government needs to decide whether it should provide complete support,” he said. “There is a difference in expectations. Where do you draw the line? “Short term is easy, long term is difficult. And what the government decides will set a precedent, so it’s not surprising that they are being cautious.” The most straightforward way from an administrative point of view is to buy out ownership, but even that is complicated due to the complex ownership structure of privately owned housing, the academic said. “Some units are better renovated, others have a sea view,” he said. “There cannot be a one-size-fits-all package; it needs to be flexible and tailor-made to different residents.” Anthony Cheung suggested ownership buyout as a baseline, supplemented by a cash payout and other forms of assistance, such as a special queue for repurchasing a Housing Authority scheme flat. Lack of support There are also issues with interim housing. Since December, displaced families have been asked to vacate emergency housing, forcing them to move for a second or even third time since they lost their homes. They have scrambled to move into government-provided temporary housing, scattered across the city from Aberdeen to Yuen Long. Eminence Tower I in Hung Shui Kiu. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. But no one knows how long they will be staying. There has been no clear direction from the government, and residents said communication has been top-down with little room for discussion so far. Kong was told he and his family had to move out of a youth hostel in Fanling, their temporary shelter, by December 19. While waiting to move into new temporary lodging, he rented a furnished apartment in Quarry Bay while his sons stayed with friends. Kong finally chose a temporary flat in Hung Shui Kiu, near Tin Shui Wai. “I chose a nicer place because my wife has been so anxious,” he said. “She’s still seeing a psychologist for help after the fire.” He said the assigned unit in Eminence Tower 1, a government-subsidised housing block in Hung Shui Kiu, was empty. He showed us around the flat – a single room with no partition walls. Bunk beds flanked a corner while two other single beds occupied another corner. Plastic chairs and a plastic cupboard stood to one side. Living in Eminence Tower 1, mainly occupied by Wang Fuk Court families, can be challenging. It takes children up to one and a half hours to reach their schools in Tai Po. Wang Fuk Court resident Jason Kong’s new temporary flat in Hung Shui Kiu. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Kong urged the government to provide better interim housing support. There is currently no established channel for residents to effectively communicate their needs and difficulties to the government, he said. Kong used to serve on the Wang Fuk Court homeowners’ committee before it was dissolved by the court. Since then, numerous residents have contacted him for help, and he has been in touch with the Home Affairs Department, the Transport Department, the local district councillor, as well as social workers, trying to ask for more support. He asked the Home Affairs Department for transport assistance for families with children and the elderly who need to go back to Tai Po for doctor’s appointments, but to no avail. “Not our purview, they say,” said Kong. “And the Transport Department said something along the same lines – and to get in touch with the Home Affairs Department.” Isabelle Cheung and her mother were told to vacate their youth hostel room by the end of January. They will be moving to an empty public housing flat in Aberdeen, a district she had only visited once as a child on a school trip. She was having air conditioners installed in the Aberdeen flat on the day HKFP paid a visit. “We don’t really have anywhere else to go,” she said. A paper kite flies over the Wang Fuk Court on January 30, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Moving to Aberdeen means she has to give up her part-time job in Tai Po. “It was either keeping my job and using it to pay for the extra expenses of renting in Tai Po, or quitting to take a little break while I figure things out for us,” she said. The monthly rent for the Aberdeen flat is around HK$6,000 to HK$7,000. The government has announced an annual rental subsidy of HK$150,000 for two years, to be disbursed in HK$75,000 instalments. This amounts to HK$12,500 per month. The subsidy comes from the support fund, which reached around HK$4.5 billion on Monday – of which HK$4.2 billion consisted of donations from private entities and individuals. “I guess we will just wait,” Isabelle Cheung said. “It’s not like we have a choice.”