Poor community in Hong Kong living in ‘coffin homes’

It is reported that some of the poorest residents in Hong Kong are living within spaces which are slight larger than ‘coffins’. This is in the midst of the high property pricing and multi-million dollar apartments of the commercial and residential areas of the country. A 72 year old janitor reportedly lived in what is labeled as a ‘coffin home’ has been dwelling in the extremely limited space for more than 10 years where it is just about the size of a twin-sized bed.

He said that living in such a space is not really his choice but it is still better than living on the streets. This is just one of the reality of life in Hong Kong, especially among the poor where there is another alternative which is called the ‘cage homes’ where people are living within spaces that look like livestock coops living areas. In fact, the janitor is not alone because there are 20 other people who share similar fates that have a sharing bathroom cum shower. Here is where one can see stacks of living spaces which are made up beds for those who earn very little and cannot afford bigger homes. In fact, for someone like him, who makes only about US150 per month, it is considered the best place to stay in without having to worry much about other things. After all, he was a businessman who had to roll up his company after a few unsuccessful ventures.