Youth Hostel Scheme expands with Tsuen Wan hotel
As part of the SAR’s efforts to support the housing needs of the working youth, young people in Hong Kong can apply for long-term stays at Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West for less than HK$5,000 a month starting from Monday. The latest expansion of the Youth Hostel Scheme sees the Tsuen Wan hotel allocate 100 rooms to provide up to 200 beds, with the rent for each person ranging from HK$4,680 to HK$4,980.  Applicants for the programme must be permanent residents of Hong Kong, aged 18 to 31, and employed. The operator Y.Elites Association said it received over a thousand pre-registration forms since the end of April, adding applicants will be interviewed based on factors such as whether they have urgent housing needs and their willingness to participate in community outreach activities. The association also said young tenants will have to participate in no less than 200 hours of community or dormitory services each year. The managing director of Nina Hospitality Simon Manning pledged to support youth in the community and said the hotel will not treat any of their guests differently. "They'll get the same services, they'll get looked after just as well as our regular guests. And we hope that they'll be able to partake in our activities at Nina Hospitality and that we will build a happy community," he said. Executive Director and CEO of Chinachem Group, Donald Choi also said the group hopes to give young people a better living environment, allowing them to “strive for self-improvement and make contributions to society”. It's the second youth hostel project approved under the scheme after the BeLIVING Youth Hub on Morrison Hill Road.