Gyeonggi-do Opens Emergency Welfare Hotline, Supports 218 People in Crisis Within 41 Days

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has received 397 calls and text messages and supported 218 people within 41 days of opening an emergency welfare hotline as a measure against the 'Suwon Three Mothers Incident.'

As of 9 a.m. on the 4th, Gyeonggi Province announced on the 5th that the total number of welfare-related calls (including text messages) received through the emergency welfare hotline and call center was 397, of which 226 were through the hotline (mobile phone) and 171 through the 120 call center.

The province explained that among the 397 people, 218 have completed receiving welfare services by linking with existing welfare systems or providing goods with the help of private donations, offering available welfare services to those who had never received welfare services before, and providing opportunities to receive private donations to crisis households struggling even with existing welfare system support. The remaining 179 people are undergoing counseling.

It was confirmed that there were various ways to report to the hotline.

Most reports were made by the individuals themselves, but there were also cases reported through neighbors or relatives. Upon hearing from a relative of Mr. D, a solitary elderly person hospitalized in a nursing hospital, that he would have nowhere to live if discharged due to unpaid monthly rent and depletion of the deposit, the province is assisting with the application for a jeonse lease in cooperation with the Gyeonggi Urban Housing Corporation.

Earlier, to help residents experiencing financial difficulties, the province launched the emergency welfare hotline (010-4419-7722) on August 25, and since September 5, it has been operating the 'Emergency Welfare Dedicated Call Center (031-120)' in parallel.

Previously, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon promised on his social networking service (SNS) on the 13th of last month, "For those who make calls in desperate situations with no one to care for them, we will continuously improve and improve again so that not a single person is given up on."

Accordingly, the province reorganized the operation system of the emergency welfare hotline and call center.

The province improved the automated response system (ARS) message of the 'Emergency Welfare Dedicated Call Center,' reducing the time for callers to connect with a counselor from the previous 21 seconds to 8 seconds, lowering the barrier to counseling.

Previously, the phone guidance included the phrase, "Currently, due to COVID-19 prevention measures, masks are worn, so pronunciation may not be clear; we ask for your understanding," but this was removed and replaced with the phrase, "If you need emergency welfare crisis counseling, press 0," which now appears immediately.

Yoon Young-mi, head of the Welfare Policy Division of the province, emphasized, "When conducting emergency welfare crisis counseling, there are often cases where people hesitate to ask for help due to social prejudice. We will continue efforts to lower the threshold so that anyone in need can contact the Gyeonggi Province Emergency Welfare Crisis Counseling Call Center at any time and improve the welfare worker discovery and support system."