Housing the Needy

The extent of Hong Kong’s housing problem is formidable indeed. On the basis of the 1961 census it has been estimated that out of the population of approximately 3,13 3,000 about 1,000,000 are unsatisfactorily housed, about 511,000 in squatter huts and other wooden structures, 140,000 in bed-spaces, 69,000 in verandas and cocklofts, 56,000 on rooftops, 50,000 in shops, garages and staircases, 26,000 in boats, 20,000 on the streets, 12, 000 in basements, and 10,000 in stalls and caves. ¹