Listening to Frontline Challenges Beyond Delivering Gifts
Commitment to Resident-Centered Governance
With the Lunar New Year holiday approaching, the Yeongdeok County Council in North Gyeongsang Province visited local welfare facilities, embarking on a warm outreach effort. The purpose was to visit sites in person at a time when vulnerable groups can easily feel lonely, offer comfort and encouragement, and also give voice to the need for institutional improvements.
On the 13th, the council visited two social welfare facilities in the county in succession. Rather than merely checking off a schedule, the visits were arranged to directly assess conditions felt on the front lines of care.
Council members, including Council Chair Kim Seongho, took part in the visits. After delivering consolation gifts prepared for Saetbyeol Nursing Home and the Yeongdeok County Sheltered Workshop for Persons with Disabilities, they held meetings with facility officials. They shared issues felt on site, such as difficulties related to staffing and the need to supplement support systems, and expressed their intention to reflect these in future legislative activities.
Chair Kim said, "The council must play its role where it is closest to the lives of residents," adding, "We will continue to pay attention so that a culture of sharing and consideration can spread even further throughout the community."
As welfare needs are rapidly increasing amid deepening population aging, on-site activities by local councils are seen as an important starting point for enhancing the effectiveness of policy. Efforts to seek solutions in places directly connected to residents' daily lives are helping to strengthen the local social safety net.
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