Twenty-six small to medium-sized singleton hostels under the Home Affairs Department's Singleton Hostel Programme will be phased out in four years starting today.

The programme was introduced in 1991 to ensure that no lodgers of bedspace apartments would become homeless because of the implementation of the Bedspace Apartments Ordinance.

There are now 28 singleton hostels under the programme, of which 26 are small to medium-sized hostels managed by the Agency for Volunteer Service.

The other two purpose-built singleton hostels, Sunrise House and High Street House, are managed by the Salvation Army and the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council, respectively.

The 26 singleton hostels in urban areas the agency manages provide 290 bedspaces while the Sunrise House in Sham Shui Po and the High Street House in Sai Ying Pun provide a total of 580 places.

Two hostels continue to operate

The programme was recently reviewed to ensure effective use of social resources. Both the department and the agency agreed to gradually phase out the 26 small to medium-sized singleton hostels within four years.

Sunrise House and High Street House will continue to provide lodging services.

About 160 lodgers will be affected within these four years. The Government and the related organisations will try their best to render assistance to them.

They will help them to locate other premises under the prgramme or alternative accommodations, including the "elderly house" or public housing units for singletons provided by the Housing Authority and the Housing Society.