Lawmaker voices concerns for residents of senior housing towers

The government senior housing towers on Plot P of the Areia Preta district, now in operation for one year, have led lawmaker Ella Lei to urge the government to reduce housing fees to alleviate residents’ financial burdens, establish direct bus services to local hospitals, upgrade building facilities, and enhance support services to better meet residents’ needs.

According to her, such recommendations arose as more seniors moved in. Currently, there is no official updated public information on occupancy figures for the housing towers, including the number of residents and occupancy rate.

However, a civic leader, citing data from the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), reported that as of May 31 this year, the bureau had received over 2,200 applications, totaling approximately 3,100 individuals.

Among these, single-person applications represented 56% of the total, while two-person applications made up about 44%.

Approximately 810 households, totaling 1,200 seniors, have already moved into the apartments. It was projected that by the first half of the year, cumulative occupancy would reach 1,000 households, with around 1,430 residents.

The lawmaker stated that despite the current six-year discount scheme offered by the authorities, the decline in private market rents has led more seniors to hope the government will actively consider reducing usage fees to address residents’ concerns.

Additionally, feedback indicated that current bus routes serving the senior housing project are circuitous and often require transfers.

Authorities are urged to establish dedicated routes or improve bus services, particularly direct connections to Conde S. Januário Hospital and Kiang Wu Hospital, as well as potentially convenient services to the Macau Union Hospital in the future.

Since the towers began operation last year, approximately 50 lease terminations have been reported at the senior apartments.

The primary reasons include changes in family size and personal health issues. Notably, a small number of residents ended their leases due to unclear fee structures before moving in or for personal reasons after they had settled.