Latest news with #JeffRotmeyer
HKFP
24-05-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Of cost and care: NGO ImpactHK on why Hong Kong needs homeless shelter on gov't land
After Hong Kong authorities rejected ImpactHK's application to build a homeless shelter on government land, the NGO began reaching out to lawmakers, hoping for a dialogue. Getting approval to move most of its facilities into a four-storey building on government land would have allowed the NGO to cut down on rental costs by about HK$4 million each year, while continuing to operate a separate drop-in centre that serves homeless people seeking assistance on an impromptu basis. 'It's a huge amount of money every year that we're spending on rent,' said Jeff Rotmeyer, the NGO's founder and CEO, in an interview with HKFP. 'It's not sustainable.' ImpactHK now spends just under HK$5 million a year for rent on offices, sports centres, a community kitchen, and shelters in Tai Kok Tsui, Mong Kok, and Prince Edward, on the private market. It was already in touch with a construction company that had agreed to build the complex on a pro bono basis, meaning the NGO would not have to bear construction costs. Last week, local media outlets, including HKFP, reported public opposition to the plan, particularly from residents in nearby private residential estates in Cheung Sha Wan who were notified of ImpactHK's application as part of a consultation exercise. Residents rallied behind lawmakers and district councillors who met with government officials to oppose the plan. About a week later, on Monday, authorities rejected the NGO's application. The site at the intersection of Sham Mong Road and Sham Shing Road in Cheung Sha Wan, near four private residential estates, was chosen for its proximity to the homeless community in West Kowloon, Rotmeyer said. 'We'd be much more efficient, not just financially, but also our staff will be much more effective in that model.' Rehabilitation The Lands Department said it rejected ImpactHK's application for the shelter after considering not only the plan but also existing shelter services and stakeholders' concerns. In a statement on Thursday, ImpactHK said: 'We hope our Legislative Council members and Hong Kong residents will seek a better understanding of the homeless community to eliminate stigma related to hygiene, noise, and security. These misconceptions do not reflect the reality of the individuals we serve and walk with.' 'This is a setback,' Rotmeyer told HKFP on Friday, adding that the rejection highlighted the greater need for ImpactHK to help Hongkongers understand the plight of the homeless and the importance of community support. Shelters for the homeless have strict regulations prohibiting gambling, drug use, and alcohol consumption, said Ng Wai-tung, a veteran social worker at local NGO the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO). 'Shelters are a place for rehabilitation,' Ng said when asked about residents' concerns regarding hygiene and safety. 'If street sleepers remain unhoused due to a lack of shelters, they will stay on the streets, and those behaviours will continue.' According to a SoCO survey released last week, about 40 per cent of 100 homeless people in Tseung Kwan O interviewed by SoCO and academics from Saint Francis University suffered from at least one addiction, with nearly 17 per cent experiencing three or more. But Ng also noted that moving into shelters was a 'voluntary' process for street sleepers hoping to turn a new leaf, adding that SoCO was also advocating for medical personnel and therapists to be installed at homeless shelters. As of December 2024, there were 672 homeless people registered with the Social Welfare Department, and 228 short-term hostel beds offered by government-supported NGOs, including The Salvation Army and St. James' Settlement – only a 10 per cent increase from the 202 beds available more than a decade ago, he said. Separately, there are 398 beds provided by NGOs on a self-financing basis, of which SoCO itself offers 53. With an annual budget of HK$30 million, ImpactHK receives no funding from the government. Instead, it is supported by the private sector and charities, including the Community Chest and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. ImpactHK's shelters, community centres, counselling centres, and its kitchen and canteen would have been housed in the building and not visible to the public, said Rotmeyer. Meanwhile, the NGO's drop-in centre will remain off-site in Tai Kok Tsui. Rotmeyer acknowledged that some homeless people do struggle with addiction but maintained that programmes and services such as ImpactHK's, including the now-vetoed shelter, would help the homeless overcome struggles that the Cheung Sha Wan residents viewed as 'safety risks.' In addition to its physical facilities, ImpactHK also runs addiction recovery and employment programmes. More than a fifth of the NGO's paid staff have experienced homelessness. 'We're seeing people overcoming addiction issues, overcoming trauma, mental health issues, PTSD. We're seeing that every day,' he said. Many former street sleepers have found work, rented their own flats, and become financially independent after receiving support from ImpactHK, he added. 'When you [peel] back the layers and look at what that individual is trying to escape from or seek peace from, you know that that person needs a lot of love and care and support.' At eight years old – still young by industry standards, Rotmeyer said – the NGO now distributes more than 15,000 meals a month on the streets. Over the past two years, ImpactHK has helped someone off the streets and into its shelter roughly every three days, totalling close to 700 since the NGO was established. 'If we really want to solve homelessness in this city, we need to make sure that people are met with care and support and opportunities, not condemnation, stigma, and judgement,' the NGO's head said. 'You have to have community support in order to really help the most vulnerable. It's a community who are already very hidden and pushed away. And the solution is not to push them away, it's to care for them, right?' 'Equally concerned' Rotmeyer said ImpactHK had reached out to lawmakers for discussions but had not received a response as of Friday night. Tik Chi-yuen, lawmaker for the social welfare sector, did not respond to HKFP's enquiries. Three legislators representing the Kowloon West constituency – Rebecca Chan, Vincent Cheng, and Scott Leung – posted on Facebook nearly two weeks ago about their meetings with Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare Ho Kai-ming and Under Secretary for Development David Lam to convey residents' objections. Cheng, who grew up in one of Hong Kong's poorest neighbourhoods and has campaigned on low-income issues, declined to speak with HKFP. However, he wrote on Facebook on Monday: 'We are equally concerned about the needs of street sleepers and hope the government can find a suitable place to serve them better in the future.' Chan said on Facebook the same day that she welcomed the government's decision but hoped to continue working with officials to identify suitable sites for 'relevant welfare facilities.' Original reporting on HKFP is backed by our monthly contributors. Almost 1,000 monthly donors make HKFP possible. 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South China Morning Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Charity's proposed shelter for homeless Hongkongers rejected by government
Hong Kong authorities have rejected a charity's request to build a shelter for homeless residents on land in a middle-class neighbourhood, with the group questioning whether the refusal could stigmatise people who are living rough. In a reply to the Post on Tuesday, the District Lands Office of Kowloon West confirmed that it had declined the application from ImpactHK the day before, citing a 'failure to obtain policy support' after the body consulted various departments and stakeholders. The non-profit organisation sought to build a shelter and ancillary offices at the intersection of Sham Mong Road and Sham Shing Road in Lai Chi Kok. ImpactHK, which was established in 2017, expressed its disappointment with the decision but hoped to use the opportunity to engage with the government on how they could collaborate. 'It is very clear that they do not want those individuals that we support as an organisation in their neighbourhood. The sad part is that government officials do not understand who these individuals are that they are rejecting and stereotyping,' Jeff Rotmeyer, ImpactHK's founder and CEO, told the Post. 'To me, these people are Hongkongers and they should not be hidden or pushed away or told that they are less. I find it disheartening to see people look at these individuals as if they are not normal.'
South China Morning Post
12-03-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Canadian's favourite Hong Kong restaurants for Singaporean, Indian, seafood and more
Canadian Jeff Rotmeyer is the founder of ImpactHK, a non-profit organisation that helps homeless people find work and shelter. Its annual Kindness fundraising gala takes place this year on March 22. He spoke to Andrew Sun. Advertisement When it comes to food, I pretty much like it all. I especially love chocolate and ice cream, so when I hear people say some desserts are too sweet, it blows my mind. Having lived in Asia for 19 years, I am obviously fond of Asian cuisine. These days, I am mostly vegetarian, trying to stay as healthy as possible. But I am not a big salad eater. I enjoy a lot of Indian and Thai throughout the week. Dignity Kitchen (2/F, 618 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok. Tel: 2561 2633). It is a Singaporean restaurant that I guess I am quite old school when it comes to choosing the restaurants that I go to, because I am quite loyal. A favourite restaurant of mine is(2/F, 618 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok. Tel: 2561 2633). It is a Singaporean restaurant that employs the neurodiverse community and others with physical challenges There, you will always find the best customer service and get a good meal at an affordable price. I usually get the vegetarian nasi lemak, which is so uniquely presented and filling. Laksa at Dignity Kitchen. Photo: Winson Wong Museum Cafe 8 (Hong Kong Maritime Museum Roof, Pier 8, Central Pier) is a consistent go-to for coffees and light lunches when I have business meetings on Hong Kong Island. It is another social enterprise helping the neurodiverse community.
