Targeted poverty alleviation strategy hailed a success

The government has hailed its targeted poverty alleviation strategy a success, saying its three flagship initiatives have met or exceeded all performance indicators.

An impact report released on Thursday showed major improvements in household incomes and living conditions for the most vulnerable groups.

Introduced in 2022, the targeted poverty alleviation strategy currently focuses resources on three vulnerable groups: single parents, elderly households, and those living in subdivided flats.

However, looking ahead, the administration is planning to shift its approach.

A government source said officials intend to add a fourth targeted group to the scheme, though no details were given on who would be included.

The source revealed that the government does not plan to reintroduce a formal poverty line, saying that setting a single income threshold is not the most effective way to design policy measures to fight poverty.

Officials will also stop defining what “poverty” is to avoid labelling those in need, the source added.

The government is also set to launch a digital matching platform designed to better align business sector resources with community welfare projects this year.

A research team at the Polytechnic University, commissioned by the administration, conducted a study and found that the three main initiatives under the targeted poverty alleviation strategy have yielded major benefits.

Under the School-based After School Care Scheme, 70 percent of parents felt their caregiving pressures had eased, while the support allowed more homemakers to return to work – boosting average monthly household incomes for those participating in the scheme by about HK$3,500.

The Pilot Programme on Community Living Room – which provides shared kitchens, as well as study and living spaces for subdivided unit residents – also scored highly, with 95 percent of users saying the initiative improved their living conditions and social connections.

Meanwhile, the Strive and Rise Programme – which pairs underprivileged secondary school students with volunteer mentors – saw over 90 percent of students report gains in at least one of eight key areas, such as self-esteem, financial planning, and goal setting.

On the ground, district services and community care teams made contact with around 110,000 households in need.

Their outreach led to more than 13,000 service referrals, including over 3,500 emergency alarm installations. Care teams also visited nearly 35,000 high-risk households, transferring more than 2,400 vulnerable cases to social welfare units.

Edited by Aaron Tam ...