Gwangju City Raises Child Support for Single-Parent Families

230,000 Won Per Child Monthly... Support Expanded to Elementary Students
370,000 Won Per Month for Youth Single Parents with Two or More Children

Photo material of single-parent family program. Provided by Gwangju City

Gwangju City announced on the 7th that it will expand various support measures, including increasing child-rearing subsidies for single-parent families, to establish a comprehensive and safe family welfare network.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the city will raise the monthly child-rearing subsidy for single-parent families (with a standard median income of 63% or less) from 210,000 won to 230,000 won per child starting in January this year.

In addition, the coverage for school supply expenses will be expanded from only middle and high school students to include elementary school students, providing 93,000 won per child annually. After the selection process, the school supply subsidy will be paid in a lump sum after July.

For single-parent families headed by youth (aged 24 or younger, with a standard median income of 65% or less), the monthly child-rearing subsidy for children aged two or older will be increased from 350,000 won to 370,000 won per child, while children under two will continue to receive 400,000 won per month as before.

In particular, the property standard for vehicles will be relaxed from less than 5 million won to less than 10 million won to expand eligibility for single-parent family support. As a result, the likelihood of single-parent families with vehicles receiving welfare benefits is expected to increase.

The city also operates various policies to support the self-reliance of single-parent families. It runs six single-parent welfare facilities, including Angel House, Gwangju Clover, and Our Home, providing residents with support for childbirth, housing and self-reliance preparation, childcare services, psychological therapy support, and settlement funds upon leaving the facility.

Additionally, through agreements with Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) and Gwangju Urban Corporation, the city has secured 45 rental housing units, including one newly added this year, allowing single-parent families to reside for up to six years with support for rental deposits.

Furthermore, the city provides household services to about 100 single-parent families each year and offers consolation money of 100,000 won per household to around 300 low-income single-parent families during Seollal and Chuseok holidays. For this year's Seollal, city hall officials and employees from seven public institutions raised 21 million won through payroll change donations to support an additional 210 single-parent families.

For more details, visit the Gwangju I-Kium Platform or contact the Gwangju City Division of Women and Family Affairs.

Lee Youngdong, Director of the Women and Family Bureau, said, "We will spare no effort in providing comprehensive support so that single-parent families can take root as happy households in Gwangju through economic self-reliance and healthy child-rearing."