Full Heating Cost Support for 60 Public Senior Centers, Up to 400,000 KRW Support for 35 Private Senior Centers
100,000 KRW Support for Energy-Vulnerable Groups Including Basic Livelihood Security Recipients, Crisis Households, and Flood-Damaged Households
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) will provide heating cost support to reduce the burden on vulnerable groups struggling with the ongoing cold wave and soaring heating costs.
Up to 400,000 KRW in heating costs will be supported for 35 private senior centers in the area over three months. This amount is an increase of 200,000 KRW from the previous maximum support, helping elderly people vulnerable to cold waves to escape the cold at senior centers serving as 'cold wave shelters.'
Heating costs for 60 public senior centers, senior centers in apartments with fewer than 150 households, and individual house senior centers will be fully covered as before.
In addition to energy voucher support, about 18,000 basic livelihood security recipient households in the area will each receive 100,000 KRW by February 10. Furthermore, 520 households including crisis households and low-income flood-damaged households not receiving public support such as energy vouchers will receive 100,000 KRW in heating costs starting February 9.
Heating cost support for daycare centers will also be expanded. Heating costs, previously planned to be supported at 100,000 to 200,000 KRW per facility for 96 private and home daycare centers, will be urgently increased to 200,000 to 400,000 KRW for two months.
Meanwhile, the eligibility for energy voucher payments has been expanded from existing livelihood and medical recipients to include housing and education benefit recipients. Those eligible for energy vouchers can apply at the Gwanak-gu Office Green Environment Division or local community service centers.
Additionally, the district distributes hot packs, cold weather supplies, and sleeping bags to elderly living alone, disabled persons, and homeless people, maintaining close cooperation among the district office, community centers, welfare centers, and local residents to prevent emergencies related to cold waves.
Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said, “We will carefully ensure that support for vulnerable groups struggling with this winter’s record cold wave and heating cost increases is provided in a timely manner so that all residents can have a warm winter.”
Jungnang-gu Launches Emergency Support for Vulnerable Groups Amid Cold Wave and Soaring Heating Costs
Heating Costs of 100,000 KRW Each for 2,957 Near-Poverty Households and 320 Low-Income Households
50 Million KRW Operating Cost Support for Senior Centers, 30 Million KRW for Welfare Facilities and Daycare Centers
2 Million KRW Damage Recovery Support for Small Business Owners Affected by Cold Wave
Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) is stepping up to help vulnerable groups struggling with the ongoing record cold wave. The district announced that starting February 3, it will provide heating cost support worth 500 million KRW to vulnerable groups and welfare facilities.
First, 2,957 near-poverty households will receive 100,000 KRW in heating costs in cash. All near-poverty groups, including Seoul-type basic livelihood security recipients, single-parent families, near-poverty disabled households, and near-poverty self-support households, can receive this without any additional conditions.
This is intended to support vulnerable groups facing similar difficulties who do not qualify for Seoul city’s special heating cost support for basic livelihood security households.
To minimize welfare blind spots, the district also identified 320 low-income households not classified as basic livelihood security or near-poverty groups and decided to provide 100,000 KRW heating cost support to each.
Additionally, to help elderly residents have a safer and warmer winter, 50 million KRW in operating costs will be additionally provided to all 129 senior centers, along with winter heating supplies.
Operating costs of 30 million KRW will also be provided to 371 welfare facilities used by daycare centers, disabled persons, children, and youth. These funds can be used to purchase heating supplies or pay utility bills, helping reduce the burden of soaring gas and electricity costs due to the cold wave.
The district will also provide 2 million KRW in damage recovery support to small business owners affected by the winter cold wave. Eligible recipients are small business owners (shops, factories) who suffered losses due to pipe bursts or leaks caused by the cold wave. Officials will visit sites to assess damage before providing recovery funds.
Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “This support measure is designed to provide some help to vulnerable households enduring a harsh winter cold wave. We will continue to build and implement more comprehensive measures to protect and support residents against the ongoing cold wave.”
Dobong-gu Provides Monthly 70,000 KRW Heating Support, Up to 210,000 KRW Total, to 58 Low-Income Elderly Paper Collectors Facing Rising Fuel Costs
Dobong-gu (Mayor Oh Eun-seok) will provide heating cost support of 70,000 KRW per household per month for three months (January to March), totaling up to 210,000 KRW, to low-income elderly paper collectors.
This support aims to help low-income elderly paper collectors who are struggling due to recent energy price hikes and cold waves to have a safe and warm winter by assisting with fuel costs.
The recipients are 58 elderly individuals with median income below 120%, selected through a survey conducted by the district office by neighborhood.
The support funds were raised through the ‘Hope Ondol Warm Winter Fund’ and will be deposited into recipients’ accounts by the Dobong-gu Social Welfare Council.
Oh Eun-seok, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, “Heating costs are a significant economic burden for elderly paper collectors. We hope this support will ease that burden even a little. After providing heating cost support, we will continue careful monitoring using local safety networks.”
Seongbuk-gu’s Our Neighborhood Care Team Monitors Socially Isolated Households Year-Round
50 Care Team Members Begin Activities for Continuous Support of Socially Isolated Households
Local Residents Familiar with the Area Provide Care Activities for Vulnerable and High-Risk Loneliness Households
Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) held the ‘2023 Our Neighborhood Care Team Launch Ceremony’ on the 27th, pledging successful year-round care activities for socially isolated households and conducting job training.
The ‘Seongbuk-gu Our Neighborhood Care Team’ consists of local residents familiar with the area who regularly visit vulnerable groups and households at risk of lonely death to check on their well-being and connect them with district welfare services if needed.
At the launch ceremony, commendations were awarded to outstanding care team members from 2022. All 50 care team members pledged ‘Our Commitment’ to successful care activities. The second part of the event included job training on situation-specific guidelines, activity log writing, and safety rules to enhance overall capabilities.
This year, Seongbuk-gu will expand the operation period of the Our Neighborhood Care Team to year-round, thoroughly monitoring high-risk loneliness households and vulnerable groups while building a local welfare safety net.
The care team will also focus on intensive management of high-risk loneliness households. They will check on socially isolated households at least once a week to build trust and provide continuous emotional support, minimizing care blind spots.
Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, “Through the Our Neighborhood Care Team, we aim to operate a strong resident-centered welfare safety net to prevent lonely deaths in the community. I look forward to the care team members’ future activities and ask the district office and community centers to maintain constant communication to ensure timely support for vulnerable households in urgent need this year.”
Gangbuk-gu Installs ‘Bench Thermal Covers’ in the Uicheon Stream Area
After Evaluating Resident Response, Project to Expand to All Bench Facilities in Parks and Bus Stops
Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) has installed ‘bench thermal covers’ as a life-friendly policy to consider vulnerable groups during winter.
As of the end of 2021, the population aged 65 and over in Gangbuk-gu accounts for 21.26% of the total, marking it as a super-aged society. Many elderly residents spend leisure time walking along the stream trails and in various parks, often sitting on benches to chat and rest throughout the year, a common sight in daily life.
However, in winter, the rapid drop in temperature makes benches very cold, causing discomfort especially for elderly people and other residents.
To address this inconvenience, Gangbuk-gu introduced a low-cost, high-efficiency life-friendly policy by installing waterproof thermal covers on the upper parts of benches.
This project was inspired by insulation materials used to prevent water pipe freezing in winter and was introduced to reduce the cold felt when sitting on benches during winter.
The thermal cover materials are easily available at general hardware stores, and the installation cost is economical at 10,000 KRW per bench. Installation is simple, adding to its efficiency.
An official explained, “Although these covers are less warm than heated chairs installed at bus stops, which cost about 3.3 million KRW each and require ongoing electricity and maintenance costs, thermal covers are very advantageous in terms of efficiency and economy.”
Considering these advantages, the district installed thermal covers on all benches along the Uicheon stream in December last year and plans to expand the project to all bench facilities in streams, parks, and bus stops after evaluating resident feedback.
An anonymous resident walking their dog along Uicheon said, “I was skeptical about how effective this would be, but it’s so warm it feels like there’s a heating wire. Even my dog tries to sit only on these benches.”
The district plans to refine and develop this employee-initiated project, apply for a patent, and introduce it to local governments nationwide.
Lee Soon-hee, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “If it can relieve residents’ discomfort, we will actively pursue even the smallest policies in daily life. We will continue to develop policies that residents can feel and that can empower them in their daily lives.”
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