How Hong Kong’s subsidised hostels struggle to provide care for severely mentally disabled young people
- Enormous demand in other alternatives such as day-care services and private care homes mean few options are available unless families can provide adequate financial and physical support
- Government urged to come up with long-term plan for chronic problem, with some beneficiaries waiting nearly 19 years for a hostel spot
Renne Lai has a rather unusual wish for her son. She hopes 21-year-old HeiHei Tsang Long-hei can stay in secondary school forever.
The 53-year-old is among a group of parents who prefer their mentally disabled children get a retention at school, because once graduated, the youngsters immediately face long queues for a place at a government- subsidised hostel, with some waiting nearly 19 years.
She helped Tsang apply for public hostels when he became eligible at 15. But she is in no rush to guarantee a place.
“As long as I still have the ability to take care of my son, I won’t send him to the hostel. Because he will become a ‘fourth-class citizen’ who waits for four things; to eat, to sleep, to use the toilet, and to die,” Lai says.
He will become a ‘fourth-class citizen’ who waits for four things; to eat, to sleep, to use the toilet, and to die
Lai quit her job to homeschool Tsang when he was diagnosed with epilepsy at seven months old. In 2007, he went to Haven of Hope Sunnyside School, and studied there for 11 years, repeating his final academic year.
