[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Lee Seryeong] Haman-gun, Gyeongnam Province, is promoting this year’s ‘Taking a Step Forward’ Hope Welfare Project to help local residents struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and to practice welfare administration that residents can truly feel.
The county plans to operate a customized benefit guidance system welfare membership project this year to eliminate welfare blind spots.
The welfare membership is a system where local residents apply only once, and the Social Security Information System periodically searches for social security benefits they may be eligible for by utilizing income and property information from related agencies. When a person qualifies, they are notified via text message, mobile, or email.
Individuals or households wishing to use the service can apply online through Bokjiro or visit a nearby eup/myeon office.
The county continues to operate the non-face-to-face consultation channel, KakaoTalk channel Haman Aratoktok (talktalk), allowing residents who are reluctant to have face-to-face consultations to receive welfare counseling regardless of location.
If someone informs Aratoktok about neighbors in difficulty, the responsible staff will find the eligible person, conduct counseling, and provide support.
Specialized self-reliant projects centered on eup/myeon, such as the Together Safe Watchdog Project to build a self-reliant safety net, will also be expanded.
The Safe Watchdog, composed of various members from eup/myeon, actively seeks out welfare blind spots such as households at risk of solitary death and plays the role of neighbor guardian by discovering and linking welfare resources.
Projects that received positive responses last year, such as the Nutrient-Rich Side Dish Support in Gaya-eup and the Cozy Sleeping Place Project in Chilwon-eup, will be expanded with a budget of 45 million KRW from the county and its own specialized projects will be carried out.
The county has established a new Gyeongnam-type integrated welfare delivery system centered on demand, where welfare, employment, and health services can be received in one place at Chilwon-eup and the Health Life Support Center of the Public Health Center.
Selected for a provincial public contest, the one-stop welfare, employment, and health service project, which has been implemented since 2020, allows residents to receive all desired services in one place, resulting in high satisfaction among local residents. As the number of users steadily increases, the project is expected to gradually expand.
A budget of 341 million KRW, a 12.5% increase compared to 2021, will be invested in the Community Investment Service Voucher Project to support service projects in eight fields tailored to local characteristics and resident demand.
This year, the county will start a massage service project for the visually impaired to improve the health of elderly patients and provide jobs for the visually impaired.
The Haman Love Taxi Project, funded with 30 million KRW from the county’s own budget, will be implemented again this year through agreements with three taxi companies in Haman.
It provides convenience for local residents with chronic diseases whose household income is below 50% of the median income when visiting hospitals, and about 500 people are expected to receive support this year.
A budget of 245 million KRW will be invested this year for households facing crisis situations due to sudden unemployment, illness, fire, or deteriorating housing conditions.
Last year, 169 households were supported with 352 million KRW, and the Emergency Welfare Support Project and the Hope Sharing Center Project, which has been implemented since 2010, will continue this year.
The Hope Sharing Center Project supports crisis households with living expenses, medical expenses, and housing repair costs. It is operated with the county budget supplemented by donations from the county governor and senior officials as well as general donations from the Community Chest of Korea to overcome COVID-19.
To promote the campaign, the county installed the Love Thermometer for the first time last year and surpassed 100 degrees within about a month of starting fundraising.
In the new year, the Hope 2022 Sharing Campaign for helping neighbors continues to raise funds, and as of January 18, 370 million KRW, which is 2.5 times the target amount, has been collected.
A county official said, “We will do our best to eliminate welfare blind spots by providing more thorough and prompt support to low-income vulnerable groups through various social welfare services and service development.”
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