The Community Care Fund will further extend the Subsidy for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Recipients Living in Rented Private Housing assistance programme on May 1.

The Social Welfare Department administers the six-month programme.

Rolled out in October 2011, the programme was launched annually in September 2013 to 2016 and relaunched for two years in November 2017 and extended for six months in November 2019.

It aims to provide a one-off subsidy to CSSA households living in rented private housing and paying rent which exceeds the maximum rent allowance under the CSSA scheme to relieve their financial burden from rent increases.

The department will further extend the programme for six months to the end of October.

Beneficiaries should be, as at July 31, 2019, tenants of private housing receiving CSSA with monthly rental payments exceeding the maximum rent allowance under the CSSA.

They are not required to submit applications as the department will identify eligible CSSA households based on reported rental records as at July 31, 2019.

In accordance with the current model of operation, the monthly subsidy will be calculated based on reported rental records as of July 31, 2019.

The subsidy will be disbursed during the extended period of the programme in one go and is expected to be deposited directly into eligible CSSA households’ bank accounts from late May.

Call 3422 3090 for enquiries and click here for details.