Hong Kong on Friday inaugurated its largest integrated rehabilitation services building for persons with disabilities, offering 1,710 places to serve the strong demand.

The Siu Lam Integrated Rehabilitation Services Complex in Tuen Mun, New Territories, will provide 1,150 residential care places and 560 day training places, catering to residents with intellectual and physical disabilities, and mental rehabilitation needs.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government aims to raise the number of available places from around 35,100 in 2021-22 to about 39,900 by 2028-29 in a phased approach, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki said at the facility’s opening ceremony.

Chan said this project, which took four years to complete, previously received two architectural awards. The building’s design features numerous glass windows to enhance natural lighting and offer scenic views. It also incorporates various environmentally friendly elements, including over 300 solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, and generators powered by renewable energy sources.

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The building is co-managed by three welfare organizations — the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, and Spastics Association of Hong Kong.

In the latest budget announced on Wednesday, the government pledged to further increase support for persons with disabilities.

For example, the government will establish 14 Integrated Community Rehabilitation Centres across Hong Kong. It will also introduce an additional 1,280 day community rehabilitation and home care service slots for those with disabilities, entailing an extra annual expense of around HK$160 million ($20.57 million).

Beginning in the third quarter of this year, the government will formalize a project on enhancing vocational rehabilitation services. This initiative will provide tailored training for individuals with disabilities to enhance their employment prospects. The anticipated annual expenditure amounts to about HK$100 million, benefiting about 10,000 people.

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According to a 2013 household survey by the Census and Statistics Department, there were 578,600 people in Hong Kong facing various challenges such as restrictions in body movement, visual and speech impairments, and hearing difficulties. Additionally, a separate statistical assessment estimated that 71,000 to 101,000 people in the city have intellectual disabilities.