Strengthening Side Dish, Laundry Services, and Hopeful Home Repair Support Projects Ensuring Basic Living for Vulnerable Groups... Focusing on Verified Welfare Projects with High Beneficiary Satisfaction to Provide Robust Support for Socially Disadvantaged
Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced plans to expand the "Warm Clothing, Food, and Housing Support Project," which guarantees the basic living of vulnerable groups, to ensure more thorough and robust welfare for socially disadvantaged individuals as difficult economic conditions are expected to continue into the new year.
This policy reflects the determination of Mayor Lee Gi-jae of Yangcheon-gu to focus on welfare projects that have already been proven and have high satisfaction among beneficiaries. Previously, Mayor Lee met with care workers such as social workers supporting vulnerable groups on the front lines of public welfare and visiting nurses at community centers to hear their field opinions. As a result, the need for practical, daily life-oriented support measures such as side dish support, blanket washing, and residential environment improvement was confirmed.
To this end, first, the district will expand the "Visiting Laundry Service Support Project (Clothing)" for vulnerable groups who have difficulty washing blankets due to disabilities or mobility issues. The support targets 1,000 vulnerable households, including those with severe disabilities and elderly living alone, providing a one-stop service for the collection, washing, and delivery of large laundry items such as blankets and curtains, while also checking on their well-being. This is expected to improve living hygiene and strengthen the safety care network for vulnerable groups.
The second policy prepared is the "Side Dish Voucher Support Project (Food)." This is a local government-level preventive measure established in response to the rapid rise of social issues such as isolation and solitary deaths alongside the increase in single-person households. It aims to maintain social connections by encouraging single-person households to engage with the local community through purchasing side dishes.
The support targets 800 socially isolated households at risk of food insecurity, providing a monthly 30,000 KRW voucher for use at side dish stores. Between January and February, the district plans to select and sign agreements with 18 side dish store franchises within the district and select beneficiaries. Partnered side dish stores will reliably supply healthy side dishes to support regular meals for single-person households. In particular, if a beneficiary does not visit the side dish store for an extended period, the community center will be immediately notified to check on their well-being.
Additionally, the district plans to meticulously manage follow-up care by linking necessary welfare services such as psychological counseling and treatment tailored to each beneficiary.
The "Hope House Repair Project (Housing)," which integrates housing welfare projects with similar operational systems to improve the quality of life for housing-vulnerable individuals, will also be expanded. To provide broader support, income criteria will be relaxed, and a "Study Room Creation" category for children and adolescents will be added to the existing house repair services. The project also aims to achieve dual benefits of improving residential environments and creating jobs by involving graduates of the Resident Technical School.
Mayor Lee Gi-jae of Yangcheon-gu stated, "In these challenging economic times, we aim to strongly protect socially vulnerable individuals who may face greater risks by strengthening basic living support projects that are fundamental to life and have proven effectiveness, thereby supporting the stable daily lives of vulnerable groups." He added, "We will continue to seek answers on the ground and implement district administration to stabilize residents' lives and improve welfare, creating a city of Yangcheon where 'Warm Companionship' is realized."
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