A Total of 77 Households to Receive Support with Seven Companies
Assistance for Interior Renovation Provided
Seoul City replaced the flooring and carried out wallpapering in a semi-basement home where a family of four lives in Dobong-gu through the 'Safe Housing Partnership Public-Private Cooperation Project.' Photo by Seoul City
A family of four in Dobong-gu, Seoul, lived in a semi-basement house filled with mold on the wallpaper and flooring. Among them, three members except the father were severely disabled, and due to infrequent ventilation, all were exposed to a health-threatening environment, coughing frequently. The Seoul Metropolitan Government supported a large-scale housing environment improvement project, including replacing wallpaper and flooring, kitchen furniture replacement, and complete bathroom renovation.
On the 26th, the city announced that it will promote the "Safe Housing Accompaniment Public-Private Partnership Project," which supports housing environment improvements for vulnerable groups, targeting 77 households this year in collaboration with private companies and non-profit organizations.
This project began in response to the semi-basement flooding incident in 2022. The city handles administrative support such as selecting beneficiary households and signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with sponsoring organizations. Private companies provide materials and construction costs necessary for home repairs, while non-profit organizations carry out customized home repairs. The city supported 9 households in 2022, 48 households in 2023, and 20 households last year.
This year, with sponsorship from a total of seven companies?including four new participants and three companies continuing their support from the previous year?the city plans to support home repairs for a record-high 77 households. The support targets vulnerable groups living in low-rise housing, including semi-basement homes.
Support is available only to households where members are children, seniors aged 65 or older, or disabled persons, and the household income is at or below 100% of the median income among owner-occupied households. To avoid duplicate support, recipients of the "Repair and Maintenance Benefit" with income at or below 48% of the median income are excluded.
Households wishing to apply for home repairs can visit their local community service center from the 10th to the 21st of next month, submit an application form along with required documents. The city plans to finalize the selection of beneficiary households in April after a step-by-step selection process.
Choi Jin-seok, Director of the Housing Office at Seoul City, said, "Thanks to the sponsoring companies that have contributed to improving the housing environment for vulnerable groups living in poor conditions, we can continue this project this year as well. Going forward, the city will continue to carry out warm-hearted administration with sponsoring companies to enhance housing welfare for vulnerable groups."
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