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2Strategies

Corporate

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Government Housing Objectives

2.1 The blueprint of the Government’s housing policy was set out in the Long Term Housing Strategy White

Paper published in February 1998. It has been further amplified in the Secretary for Housing’s annual

policy booklet entitled ‘Better Housing for All’.

2.2 The policy objectives as set out in the 2001 Policy Address booklet highlighted the following targets –

■ to reduce the number of inadequately housed people

■ to help all households gain access to affordable housing

■ to encourage home ownership in the community

Operating Environment

2.3 Before formulating the HA’s corporate strategies for 2002/03, we have conducted a review of our operating

environment. The following salient factors which will likely affect the implementation of public housing

programmes are identified –

General Environment

Political factors

■ Increasing community concern on the accountability of civil servants.

Economic factors

■ Adjustment in interest rate;

■ Pace of economic recovery;

■ Performance of the property market;

■ Increasing private sector involvement in public services;

■ Affordability of our target groups.

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Social factors

■ High aspiration for quality and responsive public services;

■ Rising recognition of equal opportunity;

■ Rising concern over environmental protection and sustainability;

■ Aspiration for home ownership;

■ Ageing population and trend of small families;

■ Increasing mobility across the border.

Housing Environment

■ Outcomes of the review of institutional framework for public housing;

■ Financial arrangements between the Government and the HA;

■ Outcomes of the review of the three long-term issues concerning the home ownership strategy, i.e.

the eligibility criteria for HOS, the split between home ownership flats and loans, and the system for

allocating sites for HOS development;

■ Outcomes of the Review of Domestic Rent Policy in Public Housing;

■ Government’s pledge of reducing overall average PRH waiting time to 3 years by 2003 and rehousing

elderly applicants on the Waiting List before end March 2001 also by 2003;

■ Adequate supply of land for public housing development;

■ Moratorium and subsequent cap on HOS sales;

■ Response to TPS programme;

■ Development and implementation of the longer term funding arrangement for HPLS.

■ Progress implementation of the building quality reform initiatives;

■ Outcomes of the Phased Service Transfer (PST) by end 2001;

■ Rehousing of occupants in unauthorized rooftop structures cleared by the Buildings Department;

■ Staff reaction to departmental reform and new housing policy initiatives.

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Strategic Objectives

2.4 Having regard to the Government’s policy objectives, housing targets, the latest operating environment

and the forthcoming changes, the corporate strategic objectives for the HA in 2002/03 will be –

■ To facilitate the cost-effective provision of quality public housing and associated services;

■ To maximize the rational allocation of housing resources, matching subsidy type and level to customer

needs;

■ To facilitate home ownership by providing flexibly a wide range of options;

■ To manage and maintain our assets with a view to maximizing their economic life and contribution;

■ To make greater use of private sector resources in the delivery of housing and associated services where

it makes financial and management sense to do so;

■ To develop a partnership with customers and other stakeholders and strengthen communication with

staff and customers with a view to improving understanding of each other’s aims and needs;

■ To develop and deploy our human and financial resources to meet corporate goals in the most effective

manner; and

■ To contribute actively and positively towards sustainable development.

2.5 Taking into account the strategic objectives, we have drawn up 68 key initiatives in this Corporate Plan.

Details of these are elaborated in Chapters 4 and 5.

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