The recent case of the death of a lady in a McDonald’s restaurant has rung the bell about the plight of the homeless in our city. Write an article for your school’s newsletter, accounting for the mounting number of homeless people and suggesting measures to tackle the issue.
The homeless are surging
Everyone should have known the tragedy that happened last week. A woman died in a McDonald’s restaurant at the midnight and was noticed a day after. Why McDonald’s? She had nowhere to stay overnight and McDonald’s was her last choice. This case aroused much social concern. In fact, more and more Hongkongers are becoming homeless. Suitable measures are urgently needed to free those suffering from the misery. In this article, both the reasons of the phenomenon and possible solutions will be discussed.
What is going on in our city? Why do the homeless citizens fail to have a roof on their heads?
The difficulty of affording a flat is tied to the skyrocketing rent. The seriously bubbling of the rental prices in recent years makes it extremely difficult for the poor citizens to rent a flat, or even a subdivided room. In fact, they have jobs and many of them have stable income. However, the escalating housing price is too overwhelming for them to afford. As a result, some of them have no other choices but to sleep at restaurants, parks or even on the streets.
On the other hand, the failure of the government’s social welfare policies is another culprit worsening the plight. The very few schemes provided by the government do not give immediate aid nor offer temporary shelters. With such little help from the government, hardly can the homeless citizens be able to rent a unit.
It is undeniable that the dire situation is getting worse. Unless new measures are introduced, the problem of homelessness will persist. By adopting drastic and pragmatic solutions, the plight can be turned around.
With regard to the role of the government, immediate measures such as rental subsidies should be taken into consideration. This simple measure allows the homeless citizens to arrange their accommodations during difficult times. Then, they would not need to stay overnight under the flyovers.
Apart from the immediate solutions, the government has to tackle the root of the problem. It should spare no pains to seek new lands and develop more public housing estates to cope with the increasing demand of public housing. The increased supply of housing units can alleviate the hiking demand in the property market and hopefully the rental prices.
As students in Hong Kong, we should not turn a deaf ear to the worsening situation. Although we cannot alter the government’s policies, we can express our opinions and suggestions to the media to arouse social awareness. Moreover, we can participate in voluntary programs which tell the homeless citizens that they are cared for. By bringing a smile to them, they are more likely to take a positive attitude, which motivates them to work harder and be happier to fight for their ‘home sweet home’.
The issue of the homelessness is not something to be taken lightly. Not only should the government pay more attention to the problems, but we, students should also keep a watchful eye on the issue. It is hoped that those homeless citizens can have a place to live and the looming plight can soon be soothed in the future.
Wong Kin Sang
6E 2015-16