Overview of Transitional Housing

The Government has been pressing ahead with transitional housing (TH) development. As at end June 2026, over 21 150 TH units1have been put into service. Given the increase in the allocation of public rental housing (PRH), the turn-over rate of TH units has become higher, and the unit usage rates of many projects have reached over 100%.

Depending on the actual circumstances of individual TH projects, the Housing Bureau (HB) has been providing the operating organisations with flexibility in adjusting the allocation ratio between Category A and B tenants. As at end June 2026, approval has already been given to 33 TH projects for adjusting their tenant ratio to 60%:40%, 50%:50% or 20%:80%, in order to assist those who have waited for traditional PRH for less than three years but with imminent housing needs, viz. “Category B tenants”, thereby utilising the TH resources more prudently and assisting more citizens to improve their living conditions.

Starting from 15 June 2026, HB allows individual TH projects to apply for adjusting the allocation ratio between Category A and B tenants to the following maximum ratio when necessary:
(i) for projects in the urban areas: adjusting the previous maximum allocation ratio between Category A and B tenants from 60%:40% to 40%:60%;
(ii) for projects in the extended urban areas: adjusting the previous maximum allocation ratio between Category A and B tenants from 50%:50% to 40%:60%; and
(iii) for projects in the New Territories: adjusting the previous maximum allocation ratio between Category A and B tenants from 50%:50% to 20%:80% at most.

In addition, in view of the implementation of the Basic Housing Unit (BHU) regime starting from 1 March 2026, residents of subdivided units (SDUs) may be affected due to the need for alteration works in SDUs for obtaining BHU recognition, or the enforcement actions carried out by the Government upon expiry of the 12-month registration period (i.e. from 1 March 2027). Some of these residents may not be able to identify suitable accommodation within a short period of time. If the residents concerned are eligible to apply for Light Public Housing or TH, the projects which are currently in operation and coming on stream can provide them with sufficient accommodation options. However, the Government understands that some residents may not fulfil the relevant prevailing application requirements, e.g. income/asset exceeding the limits. Therefore, a new type of “Category C tenants” for TH is created starting from 3 October 2025, in order to provide assistance to those SDU residents affected by alteration works or enforcement actions under the BHU regime and have imminent short-term re-housing need.


Note 1: The number of units includes both the projects in operation and those which have ceased operation. Projects which have ceased operation include - (i) the Community Housing Movement (951 units in total); (ii) projects under the “Pilot Scheme to Subsidise Using Rooms of Hotels and Guesthouses as Transitional Housing” (the Pilot Scheme) (838 units in total); (iii) “Nam Cheong 220” (89 units); (iv) “LST Housing” at Sung Wong Toi Road, To Kwa Wan (110 units); and 13 guesthouses in Yau Tsim Mong District (39 units). In other words, over 19 100 units are in operation.


Task Force on Transitional Housing

As one of the six new housing initiatives announced by the Chief Executive on 29 June 2018, a task force on transitional housing (Task Force) has been established under the then Transport and Housing Bureau (THB)2 to actively assist and facilitate various short-term initiatives proposed and implemented by the community with a view to increasing the supply of TH.

The Task Force has assisted and facilitated a number of TH projects proposed and operated by non-government organisations (NGOs), including social housing in privately owned vacant residential buildings and vacant government premises, other initiatives by different NGOs including proposals of using “Modular Integrated Construction” method to construct TH on vacant government lands and privately owned lands, or converting vacant non-residential buildings (such as privately owned vacant school premises or industrial buildings) to TH.


Note 2: The Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) was split into two policy bureaux, namely the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) and HB with effect from 1 July 2022.