Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 30th that it will conduct a survey to identify and support isolated middle-aged single-person households.
This survey will be conducted through phone calls and home visits using a survey form by the customized welfare teams of the 18 administrative welfare centers, together with honorary social workers such as the Our Neighborhood Care Group, the Dong Welfare Council, and welfare community leaders.
Previously, Seo-gu completed the first survey targeting 82 members of the ‘Our Neighborhood Care Group’ selected to prevent solitary deaths and 1,600 low-income single-person households, and has been checking on 1,500 households at risk of isolation every month.
The second survey will focus on approximately 7,500 middle-aged single-person households identified through big data such as health insurance premium arrears and utility disconnections, investigating ▲social isolation level ▲household vulnerability and living conditions ▲service support needs.
The survey results will be used to establish a detailed welfare safety net that includes enacting ordinances to prevent solitary deaths and resolve social isolation, identifying households at risk of isolation, linking them to customized services, and conducting community welfare checks.
Seo-gu plans to conduct surveys on single-person households living in about 150 vulnerable residential areas such as motels and goshiwons within the district, as well as an online full survey of middle-aged single-person households using URLs and QR codes.
Song Kyungae, Director of the Welfare Policy Division, said, “We must not forget that social isolation is no longer a problem of a specific area or generation, but a pressing social issue for all of us. Through this survey, we will identify those at risk of isolation and provide customized services according to life cycles to do our best in preventing solitary deaths.”
Meanwhile, Seo-gu is carrying out various projects to prevent solitary death risks among single-person households, such as ‘Hello Solo, Solo Grandfather Mind Filling 100’ and ‘Residential Environment Improvement Project for Households Suspected of Hoarding.’
Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dongho baekok@asiae.co.kr
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