From Jobs to Welfare in One Place... Yeongdeungpo-gu Operates 'Visiting Welfare Consultation Desk'

The Only Autonomous District in Seoul... Dedicated Social Welfare Staff Dispatched
Providing One-Stop Job Information and Welfare Services Through Counseling Desk
Customized Life Cycle Information Guidance... Accelerating Discovery and Support for Welfare Blind Spots

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it will identify and support welfare blind spots through the operation of the ‘Visiting Welfare Counseling Desk with My Job (JOB).’

The visiting welfare counseling desk, which has been in operation since 2018, is a project that provides job seekers with information on job training and other employment-related guidance, as well as welfare-related services tailored to different life stages, all at once.

By September of last year, the district had conducted 243 welfare-related consultations through this project, including livelihood support, emergency welfare support, and rental housing assistance. In addition, a total of 10 educational sessions were held for about 260 people covering topics such as how to use welfare services, types of welfare systems, and eligibility criteria. Two case meetings were also held to further identify welfare blind spots.

Notably, Yeongdeungpo-gu is currently the only district in Seoul that dispatches dedicated social welfare personnel to the Seoul Southern Employment Welfare Plus Center, providing more professional counseling and consistently achieving positive results at each session.

The district conducts counseling using materials such as the annually published ‘Life Cycle Customized Welfare Service System Guidebook.’ It also plans to actively operate the counseling desk to implement preventive welfare by proactively identifying residents facing difficulties such as unemployment and employment crises and supporting their self-reliance.

The counseling desk operates from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is located on the first floor of the Seoul Southern Employment Welfare Plus Center. Users can receive not only welfare and job search counseling but also basic financial counseling for ordinary citizens, including debt, debt adjustment, and low-interest refinancing consultations. However, the center only provides counseling services; applications and submissions for various services such as welfare benefits can be made at the local community service center or the Yeongdeungpo-gu office’s relevant departments.

A resident in their 40s who visited the center for job counseling said, “When the allowance ended, I was at a loss about how to continue my livelihood, but I received guidance on available support systems at the dedicated welfare counseling desk.” They added, “I hesitated to apply, wondering if I would qualify, but through counseling, I gained a lot of information and felt psychological stability,” expressing satisfaction and gratitude for the project.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “We are striving to support user convenience and the self-reliance of vulnerable groups by linking employment and welfare services.” He added, “We operate the counseling desk by dispatching district-affiliated counseling staff to provide more professional information, so we ask for the interest and use of our residents.”