Support Trust for Accommodation of Refugees (STAR) programme
The Support Trust for Accommodation of Refugees (STAR) is Branches of Hope’s new monthly finacial support programme, providing aid to our refugee and asylum seeker community from January 2025.
Objectives of the STAR programme:
- Reduce the financial burden of recipients by providing financial support for their rent and utilities bills
- Empower recipients to make their own decisions on how to spend the remaining financial resources
Since its inception, Branches of Hope has always been providing financial assistance to vulnerable communities in Hong Kong. Since 2018, this was achieved through the Secret Angel programme, which allowed donors to directly support members of the refugee and asylum seeker community, with 100% of donated funds going to community members.
The STAR Programme will continue this core service of Branches of Hope when it starts in January 2025, bringing with it a number of administrative and structural improvements to our past support programme.
Discover more about the STAR Programme:
BECOME A STAR
The STAR Programme exists to bridge the gap between government-provided financial assistance and the actual costs of living faced by the refugee and asylum seeker community in Hong Kong.
Despite year-on-year inflation of 2.44% annually since 2015, the subsidies amount provided by the International Social Services(ISS) has not changed since 2014.
Families receiving financial support from Branches of Hope are free to utilise the funds as they deem necessary, with a large proportion of beneficiaries allocating their funds to support rent costs. Others also frequently utilised the fund for transportation, school supplies, clothes, and various everyday necessities.
Empowering beneficiaries with unallocated financial support offers significant mental health benefits, especially given the rigid restrictions on existing government subsidies. In Hong Kong, refugees and asylum seekers are not permitted to work or volunteer, making it especially valuable for them to have the decision-making power over how to use financial assistance from the STAR programme. This autonomy enables them to better care for their families and fosters a sense of dignity and control in their lives.
Please consider to Join our Monthly Donation, enable us to continue to support the community.
SUPPORT LEVEL
The support level is based on the number of people in the households, starting at HK$500/month for single person households, then extra HK$500/month for 1 extra family member with the ceiling of HK$2500:
|
No. of people in the household |
Monthly assistance amount (HK$) |
|
1 |
500 |
|
2 |
1000 |
|
3 |
1,500 |
|
4 |
2,000 |
|
5 |
2,500 |