Family Services

Family Crisis Support Centre

Operated by Caritas - Hong Kong, the Family Crisis Support Centre (FCSC) aims at tackling family crisis at an early stage by providing a package of integrated and easily accessible services to assist individuals and families in crisis or distress. Their services include a 24-hour hotline, emergency intervention with short-term accommodation and other support services. Besides, the FCSC has established an effective referral network and collaboration with other service organisations and professionals in serving individuals/families in crisis. As at 31 March 2020, 90.1% of the service users indicated positive response in overcoming their immediate crisis upon leaving the FCSC.

Hotline Services

Since the commencement of service of the NGO-operated Hotline and Outreaching Service Team (HOST) in October 2008, SWD Hotline has started its operation on a 24-hour basis with SWD’s social workers handling calls during normal office hours and social workers of HOST handling calls received outside normal office hours. HOST also provides outreaching service to specific groups of needy persons in case of emergency warranting immediate intervention by social workers. In 2019-20, social workers of SWD handled 40 403 calls with 4 513 of them requiring counselling service whereas social workers of HOST handled 12 425 calls with 10 879 of them requiring counselling service.

Short-term Food Assistance

Implemented by NGOs, short-term food assistance service projects started operation in February 2009 to provide short term food assistance to individuals/families. The target service users are those who have proven difficulties coping with daily food expenditure, including those among the unemployed, low-income earners, new arrivals, street sleepers and individuals or families encountering sudden change and facing immediate financial hardship, etc. Enhancement measures have been undertaken by SWD on several occasions. As at 31 March 2020, a total headcount of 365 179 beneficiaries have received food assistance from the service projects.

Services for Street Sleepers

Three subvented NGOs, each operating an Integrated Services Team for Street Sleepers, provide integrated services including day and late-night outreach visit, emergency shelter/short-term hostel placement, counselling, employment guidance, personal care (e.g. bathing, hair-cut and arranging meals), emergency fund, aftercare service and service referrals, etc. with an aim to addressing the immediate needs of street sleepers and enhancing their work motivation and skills so as to assist them to become self-reliant and reintegrate into the community.

Compassionate Rehousing

Compassionate Rehousing (CR) is a form of special housing assistance, which aims at providing housing assistance to individuals and families who have genuine and imminent long-term housing needs but, owing to their social and medical needs (if applicable) under specific circumstances, have no other feasible means to solve their housing problems. In 2019-20, 729 cases were recommended by SWD to the Housing Department for CR.

Outreaching Team for Ethnic Minorities

SWD commissioned 3 NGOs to set up 3 outreaching teams for ethnic minorities (OTEM) in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories to proactively reach out to ethnic minorities (EMs) and connect those in need with mainstream welfare services. Acting as a gateway to mainstream welfare services for EMs in need, the outreaching teams provide a package of services to EMs through early identification and intervention. The outreaching teams have been providing services since 1 March 2020.