Shipping containers a short-term housing solution for low-income Hongkongers?

Hong Kong may have a – temporary – solution for its seemingly never-ending housing woes: shipping containers.

The Hong Kong Council of Social Services (HKCSS), a local NGO, has floated the idea of turning containers into a form of transitional housing for low-income families as soon as next year.

HKCSS chief executive Chua Hoi Wai told local TV channel Television Broadcasts Limited that the council has been studying the feasibility of building the prefabricated houses with developers, some of whom are willing to charge as low as HK$1 (US$0.13) rent for several years.

According to a report in the SCMP, the NGO envisions transforming the containers into homes ranging from 160 to 320 square feet, with space for two to five people each.

“Lead developers may only rent lands to us for a few years. We cannot afford to waste time on getting approval from the Town Planning Board, which is needed if we have to do any planning for the land,” Chua said in the TV interview.

“We have to build the container housing as fast as possible, so that families can move in and stay for at least two years.”

The council, which is seeking land that is already equipped for water and electricity, also plans to build the houses with a maximum height of four floors so that elevators are not needed, a move to reduce costs.

Chua added that staff have been sent to the Netherlands to study with experts who have already built similar housing developments.

The council first unveiled its three-year pilot scheme in a statement released on September 19, saying it aims to provide a total of 500 units to be shared by some 1,000 low income families currently awaiting public housing.

Chua said about 20 property owners joined the program last week, offering space for a total of 350 units. In the long run, however, he said he believes the government needs to put more resources into addressing the city’s housing shortage.

The government meanwhile, said it has “an open attitude” to the idea of container housing and other innovative means to increase housing supply, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin Chung, told local newspaper the Standard, adding that the government will consider feasibility, safety and operating issues though.