Special Scheme on Privately Owned Sites for Welfare Uses

• The Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB)/ Social Welfare Department (SWD) launched the Special Scheme on Privately Owned Sites for Welfare Uses (Phase One of the Special Sites Scheme) in September 2013 to encourage non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to better utilise their own sites, through expansion, redevelopment or new development, to provide or increase those welfare facilities considered by the Government as being in acute demand, in particular to increase elderly and rehabilitation service places.
• By the closing of application for Phase One of the Special Sites Scheme on 18 November 2013, 63 project proposals submitted by 43 NGOs had been received. Among them, 17 project proposals, which could not proceed further due to various reasons (e.g. site constraints), were removed/withdrawn from the Special Sites Scheme subsequently.
• The LWB/SWD launched Phase Two of the Special Sites Scheme in April 2019, proposing various enhanced features, including the increase in the types of welfare services in the “Shopping List” that may be included in project proposals.  The enhanced “Shopping List” with a total number of 18 types of services, includes five types of elderly services, ten types of rehabilitation services and three types of child care services, as set out as follows – 
  
  Elderly services 
  1.   Care and Attention Home providing a Continuum of Care (CoC Home) 
  2.   Nursing Home (NH) 
  3.   Day Care Centre for the Elderly
  4.   CoC Home cum Day Care Unit for the Elderly (DCU)* 
  5.   NH cum DCU*
  
  Rehabilitation services
  6.   Care and Attention Home for Severely Disabled Persons 
  7.   Hostel for Moderately Mentally Handicapped Persons 
  8.   Hostel for Severely Mentally Handicapped Persons 
  9.   Long Stay Care Home 
  10. Integrated Vocational Rehabilitation Services Centre 
  11. Day Activity Centre 
  12. Special Child Care Centre 
  13. Hostel for Severely Physically Handicapped Persons* 
  14. Supported Hostel for Mentally and Physically Handicapped Persons* 
  15. Office Base of On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services *
  
  Child care services
  16. Child Care Centre* 
  17. Residential Child Care Centre* 
  18. Small Group Home*
  
  Remarks: 
  Items marked with “*” are new services included in the “Shopping List” under Phase Two of the Special Sites Scheme.  The Early Education and Training Centre, being one of the services included under Phase One of the Special Sites Scheme, is not included in the “Shopping List” for Phase Two of the Special Sites Scheme. 
   
• In addition, we have increased the types of welfare-related ancillary facilities for inclusion in project proposals, so as to meet the diversified needs of service users. Examples include medical and dental facilities for specified target users, service for assessment of children with special education needs, as well as showroom and/or shop for innovative and gerontechnology products relating to the ageing society and needs of persons with disabilities. 
• By the closing of application for Phase Two of the Special Sites Scheme on 30 August 2019, 25 project proposals submitted by 16 NGOs had been received. Among them, seven project proposals, which could not proceed further due to various reasons (e.g. site constraints), were removed/withdrawn from the Special Sites Scheme subsequently.
• Generally, an NGO applicant may apply for Lotteries Fund grant to conduct a technical feasibility study on its project.  After confirming the technical feasibility of the project, SWD would assist the NGO applicant in applying for funding under the Capital Works Reserve Fund to carry out pre-construction activities (such as the engagement of consultants for detailed design and related studies/engineering), construction, fitting-out, and the purchase of furniture and equipment, etc.  NGO applicants may also seek other funding sources to cover all or part of the costs of their projects.