The unbelievable misery of Hong Kong's coffin homes

(Kin Cheung)Associated Press photographer Kin Cheung met with and photographed a handful of Hong Kong residents living in these "shoebox" and "coffin" homes.One resident, a single mother, lives in a dim 120-square-foot unit — one of five partitioned out of a single apartment — with her two children, one 6 years old and the other 8. The single-room space contains "a bunk bed, small couch, fridge, washing machine, and tiny table.""The bigger [the children] get, the more crowded it gets. Sometimes there's not even any space to step," she told the Associated Press. "They don't even have space to do their homework."She pays the equivalent of $580 a month in rent, nearly half the monthly income she receives working at a bakery. Another man pays about $310 a month for his 18-square-foot compartment — one of the "coffin homes" — which fits a TV, an electric fan, and a few pieces of clothing on hangers; he sleeps on a sleeping bag.

(Kin Cheung)

(Kin Cheung)The government has attempted to step in, but no policy has successfully restrained the skyrocketing prices with any lasting results. Public housing is the best bet these shoebox residents have for decent, livable homes. Indeed, nearly half of all Hong Kong residents live in either government-owned high-rises or homes bought with government subsidies. But the waiting list is already a quarter-million residents deep, and people can spend an average of five years idling in the queue.The consequences of such sordid living conditions range from physical to psychological: Some people can't stretch their legs to sleep; sex can sometimes be impossible. The children Cheung met bicker constantly.Take a tour of Hong Kong's heartbreaking "shoebox" homes:

(Kin Cheung)

(Kin Cheung)

(Kin Cheung)

(Kin Cheung)

(Kin Cheung)

(Kin Cheung)