Hong Kong rents leave more students homeless  

学历贬值租金贵 香港街头出现大学生露宿者（图）

最近香港就有这样一个新闻：因为租金持续高涨，香港露宿者出现了学历提升及年轻化的趋势，竟然有大学生也因付不起房租而露宿街头。根据香港社会福利署最新数据，截至去年底，香港有718名露宿者，其中大学生占整体露宿者的2%，预科生及中学生更占40%。[查看全文]

(ECNS) — Skyrocketing rents in Hong Kong have left an increasing number of college students homeless, the Beijing Evening News observed on Monday.

A survey released by the Social Welfare Department shows that there were 718 homeless people in Hong Kong in 2013, a 30 percent increase from 2012.

The survey also shows that the overall education level of the city's homeless has been on the increase.

Forty percent of them hold secondary school diplomas, and two percent are college students, according to the survey, which has drawn attention from the Hong Kong government.

The government is trying to help these people support themselves with welfare policies in areas such as employment and housing, said Matthew Cheung Kin-Chung, secretary for Labour and Welfare in Hong Kong.

In the district of Sham Shui Po, a two-square-foot room in an apartment normally costs 1,500 HK dollars (US$193) per month. After adding in expenses like water and electricity, the cost of renting a room is unaffordable for people who do odd jobs in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the popularization of higher education in Hong Kong has contributed to fierce competition among college students in the workplace.

The average monthly salary for college graduates in the city stands between 9,000 and 15,000 HK dollars, while monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is normally HK$10,000.