Yongsan District Prevents Solitary Deaths in Namyeong-dong with "Warmth Garden"

Practicing Neighborly Love
Connecting Welfare and Warmth

On June 30, Yongsan District in Seoul announced that it is actively promoting the "Connecting Welfare, Connecting Warmth" project, a program centered around the Namyeong-dong Community Service Center as part of efforts to prevent solitary deaths.

At the "Connecting Warmth in Namyeong" event held on April 22, residents harvested vegetables from the warmth garden. Provided by Yongsan District.

This initiative consists of three programs: Connecting Welfare for the Housing Vulnerable, Connecting Welfare for New Residents, and Connecting Warmth through Vegetables. Among them, "Connecting Warmth through Vegetables" is a welfare activity in which vegetables harvested from the "warmth garden," created by utilizing idle spaces in the community, are delivered to neighbors while checking on their well-being.

The Namyeong-dong Community Service Center established the warmth garden in March behind buildings around 25 Duteopbawi-ro, making use of unused space. Starting in April, the center, together with the Namyeong-dong Community Care Group, began full-scale activities such as sowing seeds and planting seedlings. Vegetables grown in the garden are delivered as "warmth vegetables" by welfare officials who visit the homes of neighbors identified as feeling lonely through daily check-in calls by the care group, while also monitoring their health status.

Warm support is also extended to the shantytown near Seoul Station. In this area, where many low-income residents live, support is provided through the "Warmth Storage" (operated by the Seoul Station Shantytown Counseling Center), which supplies daily necessities and food. On April 22, the Namyeong-dong Community Service Center signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seoul Station Shantytown Counseling Center for the supply and distribution of warmth vegetables, and has since been regularly delivering some of the harvested vegetables to the "Warmth Refrigerator."

The warmth garden, which will continue through this fall, is operated jointly by residents, the care group, and various community organizations such as the Community Social Security Council. On June 17, the "Harvest Day, Joy of Sharing" event was held, where vegetables grown under the warm sun were harvested. The vegetables gathered that day were shared with local residents and also provided to residents of the shantytown through the Warmth Refrigerator.

Park Heeyoung, Mayor of Yongsan District, stated, "In Yongsan, the heart of Seoul, warm-hearted public officials, residents, and institutions are working together. Everyone is a warm farmer who looks after their neighbors," adding, "We will actively support and expand this project to create a safe community free from solitary deaths."