[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu to Operate 'Gate Checking Day' Twice a Month from Next Year; Tong-Ban Leaders to Check Notices and Flyers at Doorsteps, Report to Dong & Ensure Identification of Socially Isolated Single-Person Households to Prevent Solitary Deaths ... Eunpyeong-gu Recruiting 3,043 Participants for '2023 Senior Job and Social Activity Support Project' until 28th ... Seongbuk-gu Selected as Excellent Local Government for Resident Participatory Budgeting, Secures 50 Million KRW Special Grant ... Yongsan-gu Produces and Distributes 5,000 Copies of '2023 Welfare Calendar'
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will designate a ‘Day of Checking Front Doors’ by neighborhood to establish a system for discovering welfare blind spots regardless of moving-in report status.
As the number of single-person households at high risk of social isolation and solitary death continues to increase, and care gaps arise within the community, concerns about solitary deaths are growing. In response, Nowon-gu is making every effort to narrow welfare blind spots.
□ Twice a month, community and block leaders directly identify at-risk households... Operation of ‘Day of Checking Front Doors’
Starting next year, each neighborhood will designate and operate a ‘Day of Checking Front Doors.’ Through the solidification of roles of 715 community leaders and 1,721 block leaders, the plan is to closely monitor resident trends and strengthen the role of health and welfare helpers.
They will check the front doors and mailboxes of all households in the area to see if bills, overdue notices, or advertising flyers are piling up, with special focus on monitoring boarding houses, semi-basements, and rooftop rooms. When at-risk households are found, they will immediately report to the neighborhood office, which will provide customized welfare services if necessary.
In addition to regular patrols twice a month, patrols will be conducted as needed during holidays, heatwaves, heavy rains, cold waves, and other situations where at-risk households may occur.
□ Survey of 6,562 socially isolated single-person households... Efforts to incorporate households needing welfare services into the system
From 2018 to 2022, there were a total of 34 solitary deaths in Nowon-gu over five years. To prevent solitary deaths, by January 31 next year, the district will thoroughly investigate a total of 6,562 ‘socially isolated single-person households,’ including those that were unavailable or refused investigation during last year’s survey and those identified independently by neighborhoods.
After sending advance notices, telephone and visit consultations will be conducted to connect necessary services such as public benefits and private resources. When at-risk households are discovered, regular welfare checks will be carried out through human safety nets such as the Nowon Smart Care Team, Neighbor Love Volunteer Group, and Life Support Workers.
In particular, for non-resident households (with resident registration discrepancies), it is judged that the reason for not reporting moving-in is likely related to debt issues. Therefore, efforts will be made to incorporate them into the welfare system through service linkage and support guidance such as legal counseling and the Low-Income Financial Welfare Support Center.
□ All residents join in discovering welfare blind spots
The district has actively promoted the discovery of welfare blind spots and urged all residents to participate in identifying at-risk households. As a result, from July to November this year, over five months, 272 cases were discovered through promotional materials such as flyers and banners, leading to a series of heartwarming cases.
On the 10th, following a report from a neighbor that a delivery package had been left in front of an elderly person’s house for about a month, the district, police, and fire department simultaneously responded. Upon revisiting to check on the resident, no response was received, so the door was forcibly opened. Fortunately, Mr. A was unharmed but appeared to suffer from hoarding disorder based on the condition of the house.
Income and asset investigations showed Mr. A did not meet the criteria for welfare recipients. Initially, food supplies were provided, and a psychological counselor visits every other day to assist with cleaning while seeking support measures. On the 23rd, the Dementia Support Center will conduct a home visit for dementia testing.
Nowon-gu Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “There are limits to support systems relying on computer networks, so we intend to visit directly. We will do our best to form a dense welfare network unique to Nowon-gu where no one, including at-risk households outside the system, is left behind.”
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) is recruiting 3,043 participants for the ‘2023 Senior Job and Social Activity Support Project’ until December 28.
The recruitment number of 3,043 represents 7.3% of Geumcheon-gu’s elderly population, ranking third among Seoul’s autonomous districts.
Geumcheon-gu continues to promote the public service activity type (2,173 people) available to basic pension recipients aged 65 and over, and reflecting the entry of the baby boomer generation with professional experience into old age, it has significantly increased the number of quality senior jobs in ▲social service type ▲market type ▲employment placement type projects compared to last year.
The ‘social service type,’ which provides services in areas requiring social assistance, will select 386 participants, a 33% increase from last year. The ‘market type,’ which generates income, will recruit 356 participants, 26% more than last year, and the ‘employment placement type,’ which connects those with job skills to demand sites, will recruit 128 participants, a 326% increase from last year.
Additionally, the Geumcheon Senior Club, the dedicated institution for senior jobs, has been selected for three consecutive years as a Seoul city-designated job project institution. Besides the 3,043 participants, it will select 91 participants for the elementary school care support project (social service type), aligning with the 8th mayoral administration’s pledge to continuously expand good senior jobs.
Seniors wishing to participate should bring identification, resident registration certificate, a business card-sized photo, basic pension recipient confirmation (for public service activities only), and COVID-19 vaccination proof, and apply in person at the executing institutions: Geumcheon Senior Club, Geumcheon Senior Welfare Center, Geumcheon Hoam Senior Welfare Center, Cheongdam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, Geumcheon Nuri Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, or the Korea Senior Citizens Association Geumcheon Branch.
Geumcheon-gu Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon said, “We will do our best to increase good senior jobs every year so that seniors can receive practical income support.”
Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) was selected as an excellent local government in the ‘Children, Youth, and Young Adult Participation’ category of the ‘2022 Resident Participation Budget System Evaluation’ hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, winning the grand prize and securing a special grant of 50 million won.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety conducted evaluations targeting 243 metropolitan and local governments nationwide to activate the resident participation budget system and spread excellent cases, selecting 22 outstanding local governments divided into comprehensive and special award categories.
The resident participation budget system is a system that allows residents to directly participate in the budget formulation process to increase transparency in local government budgets and has been mandatory since 2011. Among them, Seongbuk-gu proactively implemented the system ahead of the revision of the Local Finance Act by enacting the ‘Seongbuk-gu Resident Participation Budget System Operation Ordinance.’
In this evaluation, Seongbuk-gu was recognized for actively conducting educational activities on participatory budgeting while organizing and operating the Children and Youth Participation Committee and for efforts to actively reflect children and youth proposal projects.
Seongbuk-gu, the first city nationwide to receive child-friendly city certification and the second-level advanced certification, formed and operated the 14th Children and Youth Participation Committee this year. Since 2014, it has operated an annual 100 million won scale children and youth participation budget system, leading to active policy participation by children and youth.
This year, the district received 71 project proposals from children and youth, deliberated them, held policy sharing meetings, online voting, and general meetings, and finally selected seven children and youth participation budget projects (totaling 105 million won), fully reflected in the 2023 Seongbuk-gu budget.
Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “The core of the resident participation budget system is residents’ interest and participation. Taking this excellent local government selection as an opportunity, we will further expand opportunities for resident participation in district administration and actively strive to ensure residents’ opinions are more widely reflected in district policies.”
Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) has produced and begun distributing 5,000 copies of the ‘2023 Welfare Calendar,’ which allows easy access to various welfare information.
This is to improve accessibility to welfare systems for beneficiaries such as recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security Program. The district will complete distribution to social security benefit recipients through neighborhood community centers within this month.
The calendar is in A4 size (297mm × 205mm) desk calendar format with 14 pages including the cover. The front side of the calendar includes ▲monthly calendar ▲welfare benefit payment dates for the month ▲verification survey schedules ▲other welfare service application schedules ▲Yongsan-gu event schedules.
Livelihood and housing benefits, single-parent family child-rearing expenses, disability pensions, and disability allowances are paid on the 20th of each month; basic pension, child allowance, and child-rearing allowance are paid on the 25th of each month. If the payment date falls on a weekend (holiday), payment is made in advance the previous day.
The verification survey is a task where the district periodically checks changes in welfare recipients’ residential area, household members, living conditions (income and assets), work ability, employment status, and presence of support obligors. The calendar shows regular and occasional verification survey schedules to prevent fraudulent receipt caused by missing these dates.
The back side of the calendar provides information on the 2023 National Basic Livelihood Security System, welfare recipient discount systems, welfare systems by sector (elderly, single-parent families, infants and children, youth, disabled, housing welfare, etc.), and contact information. It also includes contact details of various welfare-related institutions in the area and the Yongsan-gu cultural shuttle bus routes.
Since 2019, the district has produced welfare calendars annually and distributed them to households eligible for livelihood and medical benefits. The 2023 calendar additionally includes the Care SOS Center project, home care support project, asset formation support account project, and the newly implemented parental allowance.
Yongsan-gu Mayor Park Hee-young said, “Many people miss out on support because they are unaware of various welfare systems and services. Even vulnerable groups with poor information access will be able to check necessary information and claim their rights through the welfare calendar.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
