Number of and Occupancy Rates at Homeless Shelters

Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Government can provide an update on (i) the total number of beds available in shelters for the homeless and (ii) the average occupancy rate, in the past three years; (b) what is the average length of stay in a homeless shelter; and (c) whether there are plans put in place to help the homeless transition from a shelter to a more permanent place of residence in the mid- to long-term.

Mr Speaker, there are currently seven transitional shelters for homeless persons and families in need of temporary residential support. The total capacity is about 720 beds. From 2021 to 2023, the transitional shelters had an average occupancy rate of about 60%.

Individuals stay in a transitional shelter for an average of about nine months. To help residents transit to a more permanent place of residence, social workers at the TSS work closely to address the needs of these individuals and families and support them in securing stable long-term housing such as rental flats or purchase flats.

I would like to thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for that answer. Just one supplementary question. I think the Senior Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that the occupancy rate is 60%. This would suggest that there are vacancies in these shelters. Could the Senior Parliamentary Secretary perhaps provide some insight into the process, that is, how easy it would be, how quickly it would be for a homeless person or someone sleeping rough to get a place in these shelters?

Sir, with respect to the Member's supplementary question, I think there is no one answer because every case is unique by its own merits. Those of us who are involved in this piece of work would know that the situational factors and difficulties that each homeless or rough-sleeping person has to deal with are often complex and interlocking. It could be a mix of employment, family disputes, mental health – and a whole host of other issues. And oftentimes, they overlap with one another.

So, what we need to do then is to make sure that we can work with community groups, work with individual volunteers on the ground, Government agencies in the mix as well, to offer the most thoughtful as well as customised support to each of these cases. So, really, there is no one quick, textbook answer for all the cases.