‘Everyone here is a friend’: charity ImpactHK helps Hong Kong’s homeless find safe shelter, sense of belonging
- ImpactHK is among beneficiaries of Operation Santa Claus, a fundraising drive organised by the South China Morning Post and RTHK
- CEO and founder Jeff Rotmeyer says pandemic has worsened homelessness problem in city, with average age getting lower
Hong Kong charity ImpactHK has helped 600 homeless people find safe shelter in the six years since its inception, but CEO and founder Jeff Rotmeyer says the pandemic has worsened the problem and left countless others in desperate need of assistance.
“It’s got worse on the streets,” he said. “You see the average age getting younger, the percentage of women doubling and about a 30 per cent increase since the beginning of Covid-19.”
The charity, which, in addition to providing shelter, helps people to regain their mental and physical health, and discover their purpose, has been selected as one of the beneficiaries of Operation Santa Claus (OSC) – an annual fundraising drive organised by the South China Morning Post and broadcaster RTHK.
Rotmeyer said the funding was much needed to tackle the significant surge in homelessness since the coronavirus struck the city.
The government has put the number of street sleepers at 1,500, but Rotmeyer said groups working with vulnerable people agreed that hundreds of thousands of people were living with some degree of homelessness, including sleeping in tunnels and parks, living in cage homes, coffin homes in subdivided flats, or factory buildings.
“There’s not a lot of affordable housing in this city,” he said.
He added many homeless people lived below the poverty line and were isolated from society.
