ISS-HK has been successfully awarded of the 8^th Round of Service Contracts of “Provision of Assistance for Non-refoulement Claimants”.  For details, please refer to the letter issued by Social Welfare Department of 21.5.2015.

For the new Services Contracts, please note the following:

1. Change in Project Name:

From May 26, 2015, the project will be renamed as Assistance for Non-Refoulement Claimants[1] 

2. District Offices

Service users will report to the District Office according to their residential address as follows:

Subsequent change in the district of residence means that the service users will be transferred to the new district office for continuous assistance.

3. Food Coupons

Following the latest Social Welfare Department Policy, food coupons worth HK$1,200 will be provided to each service user every month.  For this purpose, an electronic food coupon system is being developed and will be implemented later on.  As an interim arrangement, supermarket food coupons with a total value of $1,200 per month will be distributed to each service user every month, until the electronic food coupon system is implemented. 

The food coupons are for food items only, non-cashable and non-transferable.

For food items only - The food coupons will allow for purchase of basic food items.  Alcohol, cigarettes, medicines, health and beauty products, sugar confectioneries, chocolates, ice cream, chips, snacks, gift items and baby non-food items are not allowed to be purchased using the coupons.

Not cashable - The coupons cannot be exchanged, refunded or redeemed for cash. When used, like any other coupons, vendors under this project will not provide change so the goods bought should be according to the coupon amount.  Coupons are not for resale.

Not transferable - Receipts are to be kept by service users and submitted to ISSHK to receive the next month’s food coupons allocation to ensure that they were not transferred or cashed by other means.  If service users have not consumed all the coupons within the month, the unused coupons should be shown to ISSHK (for checking and recordkeeping only).

Invalid coupons are coupons that are defaced, damaged or tampered. It will not be accepted and considered invalid.

No replacements will be made for lost, stolen or damaged coupons.

4. Emergency Food will be food in kind

New service users or those in dire need of emergency food that subject to ISS’s assessment will be issued food in kind available in District Offices. Requests should be made with the caseworkers assigned. Coupons will NOT be issued as emergency food.

5. Toiletries will remain in kind but collected at district office

All toiletries will remain in kind and distributed in the district office where the service users are assigned. Pick up schedule will be the same day as the monthly contract renewal date.

6. Accommodation

Policies for rent deposit, payment of property agencies, and the monthly rental assistance will remain the same.  The monthly rental rate for adults is HK$1500 and children are at HK$750. 

Locating a suitable accommodation within the assistance level is the joint responsibility of the claimants and ISSHK and ISSHK would in general assist at most three times in the identification of available housing for each claimant unless for very special cases.

7. The following assistance will remain unchanged:

1. Utilities Assistance will remain the same at HK$300 per person per month.
2. Transportation will remain as computed according to the Districts of residence.
3. Clothing will be provided on request and need basis.

8. Please contact your caseworker for your concerns, clarifications and other needs.

Thank you very much and we look forward to a positive collaboration with you all.

Please click here for Result of Invitation to Tender for “Provision of Assistance for Non-refoulement Claimants”

[1] Mandated refugees recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees pending resettlement to a third country will also be eligible for assistance under this project.