Gwangju Nam-gu Selected as an Outstanding Institution for 'Emergency Support for Vulnerable Households in Winter'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (District Mayor Kim Byeong-nae) announced on the 14th that it has been selected as an excellent institution and will receive a ministerial citation as the only autonomous district in Gwangju in the evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare targeting 229 local governments nationwide to support vulnerable households during winter and discover outstanding cases.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted the evaluation using big data on the focused discovery and support performance for vulnerable households from last November to this February, selecting 23 excellent local governments nationwide, including Nam-gu, Gwangju.

Earlier this year, a fire occurred in a vulnerable household in Hyodeok-dong, threatening the housing and livelihood of a resident living alone. In response, Nam-gu used the Dasom service (housekeeping service) to thoroughly clean up the trash inside the house that caused the fire and provided emergency support for essential items such as unusable blankets.

Additionally, the household was selected as a recipient of the National Basic Livelihood Security, receiving support for livelihood, medical care, and housing. The case was evaluated as excellent for taking measures to enable hospitalization and treatment at a hospital due to the worsening of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

Furthermore, an elderly resident living alone in Wolsan 4-dong, suffering from severe finger arthritis, was found to be hand-washing clothes during winter due to a broken washing machine and frozen water pipes, which rendered the kitchen inoperative. Nam-gu provided a washing machine and emergency housing support, alleviating the difficulties of this vulnerable household, which was also highly praised.

In addition, an elderly person in Yangnim-dong who makes a living by collecting waste paper was suffering from headaches caused by foul odors and mold due to improper management after bringing collected waste paper and trash home. In collaboration with the Happy Welfare 7979 Center, Nam-gu has been providing house cleaning and mobile safety care services.

A Nam-gu official stated, “We will do our best to discover and support vulnerable households to help our neighbors in need of social care and make Nam-gu a happy welfare district.”