Hong Kong authorities have extended a special allowance for transitional housing tenants for another two years.

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on social media on Wednesday that the two-year pilot scheme launched in 2023 will be renewed, with the amount of the allowance to be increased by around 10 per cent due to the rising cost of living.

“Given that most of the transitional housing projects will continue to operate in the coming years to serve new tenants as the old ones move into public housing, and 2,700 additional units will be completed this year and next, the pilot scheme will be extended for two years until August 21, 2027 under the support of the Commission on Poverty,” she announced in a social media post.

Launched in 2020, transitional housing is constructed using government subsidies and operated by NGOs for low-income families who have waited for a public flat for at least three years, and for those with urgent needs who fulfil income and asset limits.

Ho said the government received 10,316 household applications for the allowance from August 2023 to July 2025, covering 18,675 residents.

The one-off allowance is meant to alleviate the financial burden of relocation, such as changing schools, furniture, and electrical appliances, faced by transitional housing applicants.