The Best Case: Providing a New Home After 20 Years to Recipients Beyond Motels and Inns... Helping a Needy Single-Parent Family, Discovering Welfare Blind Spots, and More
[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seoyangho) has revealed excellent cases of civil service administration that improved the quality of administrative services through customized administration tailored to residents' perspectives throughout this year.
These excellent cases of civil service administration were discovered through a contest held since last October targeting all departments of the district office and community service centers, with three awards selected: Grand Prize, Excellence Award, and Encouragement Award.
The Grand Prize was awarded to a case where a basic livelihood security recipient, who had been living isolated in a small inn room, was persuaded after about a month of visits and finally helped to leave the inn and boarding house after more than 20 years, finding him a new home.
The protagonist of this case, Choi Won-seok, an administrative officer at Hwanghak-dong Community Service Center, is a social service public official in charge of welfare work. Despite COVID-19, face-to-face support to check on basic livelihood security recipients and their hardships is an essential task for them.
In May, Officer Choi visited the residence, an inn, to check on the welfare recipient (Hwanghak-dong, 71). Despite multiple visits, the recipient refused counseling and did not open the door, but Officer Choi kept visiting for about a month to check on him. Eventually, the recipient opened his heart and shared his situation.
He had been moving between inns and boarding houses for nearly 20 years. His parents had passed away, and he had no family to contact or live with as he never married. He had worked in restaurant delivery, factories, and construction day labor but was unable to work after a hit-and-run accident in 2002 that injured his leg. He was surviving by cooking ramen with a burner in a room about 2 pyeong (approximately 6.6 square meters). His tearful wish was, "I want to live in an ordinary house even for one day before I die."
Officer Choi collaborated with community center staff to find a solution. Not everyone in hardship can receive immediate support. Health centers, welfare centers, and public officials involved in related work held case meetings, launching a project. Through meetings, they found a foundation that supports deposits, and Officer Choi submitted an application after establishing a separate case management plan. As a result, the recipient was able to receive 5 million KRW as a rental deposit support.
However, challenges continued. When they found a house matching the amount, landlords changed their minds upon learning the tenant was a welfare recipient. Even when Officer Choi offered to provide a guarantee, landlords were unyielding. Eventually, all staff at the community center visited dozens of real estate agencies in the area. They finally found a suitable house, but then the parking space for the recipient's electric scooter, who has a disability in his arm, became an issue. Again, community center staff persuaded the owner of the neighboring building to secure a parking space.
The passion of Officer Choi, who tried for over a month to bring him out into the open world, and the community center staff who searched every corner of the neighborhood to create a new home, made the recipient's small wish to live in an ordinary house even for one day before dying come true.
The Excellence Award went to the story of Sim Ju-young, an administrative officer at Cheonggu-dong Community Service Center, who supported a young mother who gave birth alone and came to the community center struggling with life in every possible way.
In late May, a young mother visited Cheonggu-dong Community Service Center. Having given birth alone and facing financial difficulties, she initially agreed to apply for welfare benefits at the staff's suggestion but then lost contact for a while.
She said she avoided social interactions due to fear of the future and depression but came to the community center due to severe hardship. She was in a heartbreaking situation, cooking ramen for herself and feeding her baby instant rice. The welfare team staff at Cheonggu-dong joined forces. They provided urgently needed items such as a rice cooker and proceeded with applications for welfare benefits and single-parent support. Through case management meetings, they recommended her for sponsorship from Shilla Hotel, enabling her to receive 1 million KRW in support funds.
Although the immediate crisis was resolved, raising a baby alone left her severely lacking in clothes and toys. Officer Sim posted her story on a mom caf?. Moms in the caf? actively extended helping hands. There were so many donated items that Officer Sim had to transport them over a week. The young mother, receiving the items, was moved to tears by the warm hearts of many people and said she was practicing opening the door she had closed to others.
The Encouragement Award was given to a case where a person, who was considering the extreme thought of death while being discovered in a welfare blind spot, was persuaded to remove skin cancer from their face, giving them hope for life.
The district office plans to post this collection of excellent cases in a handwritten format on its website and award the involved staff at the year-end closing ceremony.
Seoyangho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "We will create a Jung-gu where all residents can live well through proactive administration that residents can feel and be moved by."
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