November – Capsule Room Visit

Hidden behind a bustling city is Hong Kong’s serious housing problem. Earlier, the French Chamber Foundation (FCF) team visited a capsule room, hoping to better understand the situation.

Our beneficiary is a 37-year-old single mother facing heavy financial pressure under the COVID-19 pandemic. The small flat visited was divided into 9 capsule rooms, and 4-5 subdivided rooms. The kitchen had also been converted into a room, and more than a dozen households share one bathroom. Worse still, the rent per square foot is comparable to the luxury houses in the same area.

What the FCF team saw was only the tip of the iceberg. The problem of capsule and subdivided rooms can be found all over the city and is a topic that greatly needs our attention.