Seongbuk-gu Integrates Welfare Communities to Strengthen Discovery of Welfare Blind Spots

Six Similar Welfare Communities Categorized by Key Functions and Roles ▲ Discovering and Reporting Welfare Blind Spots: 'Honorary Social Welfare Officers' ▲ Supporting and Monitoring Vulnerable Households: 'Neighbor Caregivers' ▲ Integrated Operation Control Tower: 'Dong Community Security Council' ▲ Strengthening Blind Spot Discovery and Intensive Monitoring: 'Our Neighborhood Care Team'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) has integrated the resident-led welfare community projects to efficiently identify and support welfare blind spots.

In March, Seongbuk-gu categorized six similar and overlapping welfare communities based on their main functions and roles, integrating welfare blind spot identification and reporting under the ‘Honorary Social Welfare Officers’ and vulnerable household support and monitoring under the ‘Neighbor Caregivers.’

The control tower function for integrated operation is carried out by the Dong Community Security Council, strengthening voluntary resident participation.

To enhance the discovery of blind spots and focused monitoring, the Our Neighborhood Care Team is also operated. One to two members of the Our Neighborhood Care Team were assigned to each of the 20 neighborhoods.

Seven neighborhoods with a high concentration and risk level of vulnerable groups were selected as pilot neighborhoods, where three members of the Our Neighborhood Care Team were assigned to more thoroughly identify and monitor vulnerable households.

The ‘Honorary Social Welfare Officers’ are also being expanded and operated. Currently, about 900 Honorary Social Welfare Officers are active in Seongbuk-gu, with diverse members including gas meter readers, postal workers, delivery workers, and convenience store employees.

They provide information, report, and tip-off activities to identify households in crisis. Seongbuk-gu plans to actively expand participation from workers in daily life industries to realize everyday and continuous welfare.

The ‘Neighbor Caregivers,’ which had been limited to preventing solitary deaths, will now also perform the role of identifying welfare blind spots. Existing resident-led clubs called Sharing Neighbors will act as Neighbor Caregivers to support the discovery and monitoring of welfare blind spots.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, stated, “As administrative efforts to minimize care gaps and welfare blind spots have become more important than ever due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we are doing our best to implement a welfare community that cares together with residents through proactive administration that strengthens the welfare safety net via public-private cooperation.”