Hong Kong fire victims to keep receiving HK$150,000 annual aid until rehoused

Hong Kong authorities will continue to provide an annual rental subsidy of HK$150,000 (US$19,193) to victims displaced by the deadly Tai Po blaze, even if they are only able to move into their new homes 2½ years later under the “flat-for-flat” resettlement scheme, a senior official has said.Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun also said on Monday that residents currently living in transitional housing would be allowed to stay during the period.The government earlier unveiled its plan to spend about HK$6.8 billion to buy back fire-damaged homes from flat owners.The city’s deadliest blaze in decades claimed 168 lives and displaced about 5,000 when it swept the Wang Fuk Court residential complex last November.Wang Fuk Court homeowners can choose between a cash buyout and a “flat-for-flat” exchange, which allows them to swap their homes for new subsidised flats at 10 designated projects under the Housing Authority or the Housing Society through a special sales exercise.Wong sought to reassure affected residents that they would continue to receive an annual rental subsidy of HK$150,000 for the next two years, even if they could not move into the exchanged flats in the near future.