Family Services

Short-term food assistance

SWD has commissioned NGOs to operate short-term food assistance service to help individuals and families who have encountered difficulties in coping with their daily food expenditure since 2009. The service has been regularised since August 2021. Individuals or families who have proven difficulties in coping with daily food expenditure, including those among the unemployed or underemployed, low-income earners, new arrivals, street sleepers, as well as individuals or families encountering sudden changes and facing immediate financial hardship, may apply for the service. To help individuals and families temporarily affected by the pandemic, SWD has relaxed the asset limits of the service from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2022 on a time-limited basis by pitching the asset limits to those of the Working Family Allowance. As at 31 March 2022, a total of 489 883 beneficiaries received food assistance from the service projects.

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 partnership with other service organisations and professionals in serving individuals/families in crisis. As at 31 March 2022, 80.7% of the service users indicated that they were able to overcome their immediate family 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 been operating 24 hours a day, with SWD’s social workers handling calls during office hours and social workers of HOST handling calls received outside office hours. HOST also provides outreach services for specific groups of needy persons in emergency cases that warrant immediate social work intervention. In 2021-22, social workers of SWD handled 44 973 calls, of which 8 288 were placed by callers who required counselling, whereas social workers of HOST handled 13 404 calls, of which 11 940 were placed by callers who required counselling.

Outreaching Teams for Ethnic Minorities

SWD commissioned three NGOs to set up three outreaching teams for ethnic minorities (EMs) in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories to proactively reach out to 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 for EMs through early identification and intervention. The outreaching teams have been providing services since 1 March 2020. In 2021-22, the three outreaching teams contacted 2 346 members of EMs.