Integrated Support for Relocation and Settlement of Vulnerable Households
Living in Small Rooms, Goshiwon, and Semi-Basements
Over 800 Households Provided a Housing Ladder in Three Years
Quality of Life Improves and Housing Costs Decrease by Over 20%
Goyang Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Donghwan Lee of Goyang) is providing extensive housing welfare services to ensure that vulnerable groups living in lodging houses, vinyl greenhouses, and other unstable housing conditions can enjoy stable residential lives. Through the Goyang City Housing Welfare Center, now in its fifth year since opening, comprehensive support is provided for relocation and settlement into public rental housing, and efforts are being made to improve housing environments and strengthen housing welfare capabilities through public-private cooperation.
According to Goyang Special City on the 15th, since 2022, the city has been closely supporting the relocation and settlement process through the ‘Housing Upgrade Support Project,’ which includes identifying vulnerable housing groups, guiding them on the housing ladder support project, searching for housing, moving, moving in, and providing daily necessities.
According to the 2023 data from the National Statistical Office’s Population Census, there are 479,148 households nationwide living in non-housing such as lodging houses, vinyl greenhouses, and lodging businesses, with 6,339 households in Goyang City. Over the past three years, 236 vulnerable households living in lodging houses, small rooms, vinyl greenhouses, containers, and other unstable housing within the city have successfully relocated to stable housing through the ‘Housing Upgrade Support Project.’
The first stage of housing upgrade, the ‘Housing Ladder Support Project,’ supports residents of rental housing including △ residents living in (semi-)basements at risk of disaster and victims of domestic violence △ families with children under 18 living in housing environments below the minimum housing standards △ residents of small rooms within commercial buildings △ residents of rooftop rooms lacking essential facilities as defined in Article 3 of the ‘Minimum Housing Standards.’
The Housing Welfare Center identifies eligible recipients through counseling and on-site visits and connects them to LH purchased rental housing or jeonse rental housing with low deposit costs. Once selected as a tenant, they are given the opportunity to move into housing worth up to 130 million KRW in jeonse deposit (based on the metropolitan area, with support varying by reason and region) by paying a self-contribution of 500,000 KRW. Over the past three years, 798 households have relocated to rental housing through the ‘Housing Ladder Support Project.’
Even if selected as a housing upgrade support recipient, vulnerable households who have difficulty finding housing alone due to reasons such as old age or disability are accompanied by a housing upgrade coordinator who assists with housing search and contract processes. Additionally, since 2023, the ‘Moving Expense Support Project for Vulnerable Housing Groups’ (formerly known as the Moving Expense Support Project for Residents of Abnormal Housing) has been providing up to 400,000 KRW per household for moving expenses and daily necessities. To date, 353 households have received moving expense support.
Report on the Living Conditions and Satisfaction Survey of Residents Who Completed the Housing Upgrade Support Project for Vulnerable Housing Groups in Goyang City. Provided by Goyang Special City
In October last year, the Goyang City Housing Welfare Center published the ‘Report on the Living Conditions and Satisfaction Survey of Housing Upgrade Support Project Tenants for Vulnerable Housing Groups in Goyang City.’ The report contains the results of a living conditions and satisfaction survey conducted on 101 households who completed moving into rental housing through the ‘Housing Upgrade Support Project for Vulnerable Housing Groups’ from 2022 to 2023.
The survey results showed that the average satisfaction score (out of 10) for the residences of tenants who moved into rental housing through the ‘Housing Upgrade Support Project for Vulnerable Housing Groups’ increased significantly by 5.35 points, from 2.80 points for their ‘previous residence’ to 8.15 points for their ‘current residence.’
Furthermore, the average self-contribution for housing deposits in the ‘current residence’ was 1,215,000 KRW, and the monthly rent was 175,000 KRW, which decreased by 344,000 KRW and 61,000 KRW respectively compared to the ‘previous residence,’ indicating a reduction in housing cost burdens for vulnerable households.
This year, Goyang City plans to invest 120 million KRW, a 20% increase from last year, in the Housing Upgrade Support Project for vulnerable housing groups, aiming to actively identify and support vulnerable households to ensure housing stability for its citizens.
Goyang City is conducting various network projects in cooperation with 44 district administrative welfare centers, 3 district offices, and private social welfare centers. The ‘Mobile Housing Welfare Counseling Office,’ operated jointly with the LH Goyang Area Housing Welfare Branch and the Korea Real Estate Board Goyang Branch, has been ongoing for five years. The mobile counseling office provides various housing welfare information such as rental housing guidance and legal counseling on real estate disputes and plans to visit citizens again starting in March this year.
The city also supports improvements in the housing environment for low-income vulnerable households. Last year, the city collaborated with the Gyeonggi Province branch of the Korea Housing Construction Association to provide home repairs such as wallpapering, flooring, and sink replacement for households needing housing environment improvements. Last summer, in cooperation with the Goyang City Social Welfare Council, the city visited about 100 low-income households to provide air conditioner and washing machine cleaning services.
Goyang Special City - Korea Housing Construction Association Gyeonggi Province Chapter Business Agreement Ceremony. Provided by Goyang Special City
The Goyang City Housing Welfare Center conducts biannual housing welfare capacity-building training for public and private social welfare workers to strengthen local housing welfare service capabilities. Thanks to the positive response from participants, customized housing welfare education has expanded to users and parents of self-support institutions, disability organizations, and mental health-related institutions, contributing to the spread of housing welfare services.
Mayor Donghwan Lee of Goyang Special City stated, “For vulnerable housing groups, housing issues are a matter of securing essential space for safe survival,” adding, “We will firmly support citizens’ housing stability and the improvement of housing welfare through various housing support and housing environment improvement projects.”
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