Title: Social Enterprises and Enhancing Self-Reliance Through District Partnership Programme
1Social Enterprises andEnhancing
Self-RelianceThrough District Partnership
Programme
2Content
- Contact Me
- Wealth Gap in Hong Kong
- Hong Kongs Labour Market
- Social Enterprises in Hong Kong
- Challenges of Poverty Prevention and Alleviation
- Support from the Business Sector
3Contact Me
- Professor CHEUNG Yan-leung, Stephen
- Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Enhancing
Self-Reliance Through District Partnership
Programme (the Programme) under the Home Affairs
Department (HAD) - Address Department of Economics and Finance
- Faculty of Business
- P7410, Purple Zone,
Academic Building - City University of Hong
Kong - Telephone no. 2788 7960
- Fax no. 2788 8040
- E-mail address efsteven_at_cityu.edu.hk
4Poverty Situation Gini Coefficient
- Gini Coefficient (based on household income
before netting the effects of taxation and social
benefits) - Gini Coefficient (based on household income after
netting the effects of taxation and social
benefits )
Year 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006
Gini Coefficient 0.451 0.453 0.476 0.518 0.525 0.533
Year 1996 2001 2006
Gini Coefficient 0.466 0.470 0.475
Source Census and Statistics Department
5Profile of the Unemployed Population
- Higher unemployment rate among the younger age
group - Higher unemployment rate among the less educated
- The unemployed population comprises mainly of
non-skilled workers, such as those from the
construction and manufacturing industries - Structural unemployment, making it difficult to
find suitable jobs despite economic recovery
6Demand for Human Resources
- Decreasing demand for the less educated
- Increasing demand for professionals and
paraprofessionals - Service-led economy
- ? Mismatch of the skills of the unemployed and
the - demand of the job market
- ? Retraining
7Enhancing Self-Reliance Through District
Partnership Programme(the Programme)
- Background
- 2006-07 Budget
- 150 million over the following five years to
strengthen district-based poverty alleviation
work and assist socially disadvantaged groups to
gain self-reliance - HAD established the Programme in June 2006 to
implement the above initative
8What is Social Enterprise?
- To run the business mainly through generating
revenue from the provision of services or
products - Sustainable development and self-financing basis
- Social objectives
- Providing the needed services or products
- E.g. Support service for the elderly
- Creating employment and training opportunities
- Funding its other social service organisations
through the profits earned - To reinvest the profits earned principally in the
business or in the community
9Objectives of the Programme
- Promote sustainable poverty prevention and
alleviation efforts at the district level - Helping enhance self-reliance,
- Targeting socially disadvantaged groups.
- Increasing the skills and capacities of the
employable and providing opportunities for the
disadvantaged and to be effectively integrated
into the community
10Implementation
- Approximately 50 million to about 50 SE projects
- creating about 1 000 jobs for the socially
disadvantaged. - Many of them are implemented in less well-off
districts - Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and
Tung Chung. - Achieve social objectives
- Include enhancing the skills and employability of
the socially disadvantaged and their
self-confidence as well as promoting community
integration
11Distribution of Businesses of the Approved
Projects
11
12Social Enterprise Case (1)The Salvation Army
Tuen Mun Family Store
- A grant of 900,000 from the Programme
- Creation of about 11 jobs
- A family store in Tuen Mun
- Sell at medium to low prices second-hand articles
collected and goods donated by manufacturers - Provide daily necessities to the elderly poor and
Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA)
recipients - Social Objectives
- Provision of jobs, enhancing their employability
and participating in social economic activities
13The officiating guests at the opening ceremony
The store of about 1 000 square feet provides a
wide variety of goods
14Social Enterprise Case (2) Tung Wah Group of
Hospitals Mrs Mc Dessert
- A grant of 960,000 from the Programme
- Creation of about 28 jobs
- Theme Dessert Shop
- Also selling McDull products and providing online
retail and delivery services - With the support of Regent Lane Ltd, the sole
distributor of the Yellow Bus Magazine, McDull
products are sold at wholesale price and McDull
short videos are shown in the shop - Concessionary rent offered by the Olympian City
Management Company under the Sino Group
15- Mrs Mc Dessert
- in Olympian City
16Other Government Supports
- A pilot scheme is being implemented by the
Government to facilitate SE - Bidding 38 government cleansing contracts
- Cover all 18 districts and involve 19 departments
- Governments commitment to promoting the
development of SE - The contract sum amounts to about 17 million,
providing more than 300 employment opportunities
for SE
17Challenges of Poverty Prevention and Alleviation
- Government handouts ? Poverty alleviation
- Improper handouts Poverty creation
- Incentives for the unemployed to re-enter the job
market - Persistent inflation
- The poor, in particular, suffers from price
inflation - Inflation rate in January 2008 was 4.3
18Challenges of Poverty Prevention and Alleviation
- Widening wealth gap
- After netting the effects of taxation and social
benefits on household income, the Gini
Coefficient is still on the rise for the past
decade - Any prospect of upward social mobility?
- Hope for the poor
- Equal opportunities
- Reducing intergenerational poverty
19Challenges of Poverty Prevention and Alleviation
- Concerted efforts of the business sector, the
Government, non-governmental organisations and
individuals - Business sector corporate social responsibility
- Government SE, retraining
- Individuals self enhancement
20Business Sectors Support for SE
- Support through the following channels
- Outsourcing to SE certain operations (e.g.
cleansing services) - Providing SE with concessionary rental of their
property (e.g. shopping malls or factory
premises)/vacant land (e.g. agricultural land for
organic farming) - Partnership with SE (e.g. technical support and
staff training) - Financial support to SE
- Mentorship Scheme providing SE with voluntary
professional and business advisory services
21How can the Business Sector support SE
- The Social Enterprise Partnership Programme,
currently launched by HAD - Provides a matching forum through which business
organisations interested in providing support
services can partner with non-governmental
organisations -
- For information, please contact HAD
22Thank you!