[Asia Economy (Yongin) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province is expanding heating cost support for vulnerable groups facing severe difficulties due to record-breaking cold waves and soaring heating expenses.
Yongin City will first increase the heating cost support for basic livelihood recipients who are elderly and households with severe disabilities from the previous 100,000 KRW to 300,000 KRW for January and February.
For 66 senior centers used as cold wave shelters, the city will also expand the additional heating cost support up to a limit of 400,000 KRW to cover the increased expenses.
For 34 local children's centers, which previously did not receive separate heating cost support, 1,000,000 KRW will be provided until February, and a total of 600,000 KRW will be supported for Dahamkke Care Centers and Child Group Homes.
However, Dahamkke Care Centers will receive support twice over January and February, while Child Group Homes will receive support three times from January to March. Child Protection Agencies will receive a one-time support of 200,000 KRW.
Other social welfare facilities will be actively guided to prioritize heating costs from their operating expenses, and additional operating expenses will be provided.
The government has also temporarily doubled the amount of energy voucher support.
Accordingly, the support amount for a single-person household has increased from 124,000 KRW to 248,000 KRW; for two-person households from 167,000 KRW to 334,000 KRW; for three-person households from 222,000 KRW to 445,000 KRW; and for households of four or more from 291,000 KRW to 583,000 KRW.
The energy voucher system provides energy vouchers to energy-vulnerable groups to purchase electricity, city gas, district heating, kerosene, LPG, briquettes, and more.
Eligible recipients must be recipients of livelihood, medical, housing, or education benefits under the National Basic Livelihood Security Act and have at least one member who is elderly, an infant, disabled, pregnant, suffering from a severe illness, rare disease, intractable disease, a single-parent family, or a child-headed household.
Applications are accepted until the 28th of this month and can be submitted at the administrative welfare centers in the applicant’s town, township, or neighborhood.
The city plans to actively guide households that have not applied for energy vouchers through phone calls, text messages, and mail regarding application and usage methods.
Additionally, the city has designated the period until the end of February as a focused period for discovering households in crisis within the winter welfare blind spots, conducting outreach through programs such as 'Yongin Neighbor Keeper' and 'Visiting Welfare Counseling.'
Among the discovered crisis households, those struggling with heating costs will be given priority support using case management project funds from the town, township, or neighborhood.
A city official stated, "The government and local governments have joined forces to support vulnerable groups facing difficulties due to this winter’s record-breaking cold waves and sudden heating cost surges. We will do our best to build a thicker and broader social safety net."
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