Social Mission
A registered NGO, ImpactHK believes in the importance of kindness in addressing the pressing problem of the homeless in Hong Kong. Our journey started with the simple aim of doing one act of kindness per month for the homeless. We have grown significantly since then and many volunteers have joined us in our journey to support the less fortunate in a meaningful and measurable way. Together, we have evolved into a powerful humanitarian movement with the opportunity to make a positive impact on the plight of the homeless in Hong Kong.
ImpactHK’s goal is to provide the homeless with a connection to friends, society and a safe and comfortable home. While getting the homeless off the streets and settled into employment and their own homes is the ultimate objective of ImpactHK, this is a long and painful journey for the individuals involved. ImpactHK seeks to provide a stepping stone that is filled with love, kindness and opportunity to help these individuals. We hope to provide a rehabilitative support programme that is totally holistic in its approach, offering: counselling, financial advice, mentorship, nutritional advice, physical activity, language learning and job opportunities.
By reaching out through kindness, we transform the lives of the homeless – one life at a time.
Business Model
ImpactHK has successfully grown at an incredible pace to serve the homeless in Hong Kong due to the support of our volunteers and donors. Our message of friendship has resonated with the wider community in Hong Kong and we have a broad support base. We now have established multiple revenue streams to fund our work.
Kindness Walks: Our Kindness Walks now take place on a daily basis. Volunteers can register via HandsonHongKong to attend their chosen time slot and location and pledge a minimum donation of $100 to participate. These Kindness Walks are the “bread and butter” of our daily work, on the ground, with the homeless. In addition to spreading the message of friendship and kindness, the amounts raised ensure that the food and daily necessities we distribute are fully self-sustainable.
We currently support approximately 400 people through Kindness Walks in six locations across Hong Kong – 150 in Sham Shui Po, 100 in Yau Ma Tei, 50 in Tai Kok Tsui, 40 in North Point, 30 in Happy Valley and 10 in Shau Kei Wan. The people we help include the homeless, street cleaners, elderly recyclers and those living in coffin homes. We undertake up to 50 walks each month.
Private Kindness Walks: Our programme of private Kindness Walks are growing in popularity with organizations and corporations. We are able to tailor specific Kindness Walks to suit the needs of individual organizations for a significant donation to ImpactHK. As there is growing demand and this is becoming an entrenched service in our portfolio, we have set the minimum donation from an organization at HK$8,000 per private Kindness Walk going forward. We are currently holding approximately 6-8 such Kindness Walks each month.
Individual & Corporate donations: ImpactHK is supported by many generous individual donors, and has also been the beneficiary of significant donations from corporations.
Founding Team
Jeff Rotmeyer, Founder and Director
Jeff Rotmeyer started ImpactHK because he saw a great need for fresh ideas on how the homeless in Hong Kong are treated. Jeff believes multiple connections are essential for overcoming difficult times and he is extremely passionate about giving people in need an opportunity at happiness.
Doris Lee, Accountant
In addition to over 15 years of accounting experience, Doris also has great knowledge and skills in forecasting, business development, budgeting and office administration. Doris is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. She was previously awarded the Gold Award for Volunteer Service by the Social Welfare Department.
Social Impact
ImpactHK has expanded significantly since our establishment in 2017. We now carry out a number of fundraising initiatives that fund a growing range of programmes and services to serve the needy.
Kindness Walks: Through our regular walks, we build trust and friendship with the homeless in the hope of creating opportunities for change. Along the way, we also support others in need, such as the elderly, cleaners and the poor.
Guestroom: Our Guestroom is a safe place for the homeless to visit. We have a Community Fridge at the Guestroom where the homeless or needy can help themselves to food and refreshments.
Housing: For those that have shown commitment and capability to take responsibility for themselves, we are able to offer them financial assistance for their own deposit and first month’s rent.
Job Creation: At the Guestroom, we offer employment to Community Helpers – by being paid to carry out ImpactHK’s work, these individuals are provided with a nurturing environment in which to improve their transferable work skills.
Proposed Project for Students
In order for us to be able to support more homeless individuals by providing a more meaningful path off of the streets and into a happy future, we need to expand our employment opportunities. It is our hope to start a second-hand shop.
Through our thousands of volunteers, we receive multiple emails daily from individuals looking to donate products such as clothing, furniture and housewares. We hope to utilise this large amount of donated items by selling them at extremely fair prices to support the poor in Hong Kong while also providing more job opportunities for the homeless. This will have three great benefits for our society; saving waste from filling up our landfill, supporting the poor and providing a great employment opportunity for the homeless.
It is our hope that this will be a meaningful opportunity for your students to develop a concept that is so important and could be put into reality by ImpactHK in a short amount of time.