Gwangju City Holds On-Site Listening Day... Strengthening Self-Reliance Support for Single-Parent Families

Mayor Lee Yong-seop: "We Will Spare No Support to Raise Children with Confidence"

On the afternoon of the 18th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, visited 'Woorijip,' a single-parent family welfare facility located in Eoryong-dong, Gwangsan-gu, and toured the accommodations where single-parent families live. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City held the 21st "On-site Listening Day" event on the afternoon of the 18th at the single-parent family welfare facility "Woorijip" in Gwangsan-gu, discussing measures to strengthen self-reliance support so that single-parent families can confidently raise their children and live independently.

This On-site Listening Day was held with the participation of Mayor Lee Yong-seop, Gwangsan-gu Mayor Kim Sam-ho, City Councilor Kim Ik-joo, Gwangsan-gu Council Chairman Lee Young-hoon, Gwangsan-gu Council Vice Chairman Park Hyun-seok, and citizens, and was moderated by Choi Young-tae, Chairman of the Citizens' Rights Committee.

In the Gwangju area, six single-parent family welfare facilities (2 mother-child facilities, 4 unmarried mother-child facilities) are operated to help single parents develop self-reliance skills and raise their children stably. Currently, about 110 single-parent families in 46 households are living there.

The single-parent family welfare facilities actively support the independence of single-parent families by providing life and self-reliance support, counseling and treatment support, childcare services, and self-reliance settlement funds upon discharge.

"Woorijip" is a "mother-child facility" where mothers live with children under the age of 18. Currently, 21 members of 10 mother-child families reside there, and they can stay for up to five years.

Mayor Lee encouraged the single-parent families living there and listened to their difficulties.

A mother living at "Woorijip" said, "Single parents who have to take full responsibility for childcare find it difficult to work full-time, so self-reliance is not easy," and suggested, "I hope the residence period can be extended up to eight years and that the self-reliance settlement fund provided upon discharge be realistically increased."

Another mother said, "Currently, the self-reliance settlement fund (5 million won) is provided only after living for more than two years, but I hope the fund can be provided and increased even if self-reliance is achieved earlier."

Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, "I am proud and grateful that despite the difficult environment of raising children alone and having to develop self-reliance skills, you have not given up and are raising your children brightly and healthily," adding, "We will positively consider increasing the self-reliance settlement fund from the current 5 million won and providing it even if the residence period is less than two years. We will also propose to the central government the extension of the residence period, which requires revision of related laws, and will spare no support so that single-parent families can confidently raise their children in Gwangju."

Meanwhile, Gwangju City is implementing various policies for single-parent families, including child-rearing expenses for low-income single-parent families, self-reliance promotion allowances and GED study expenses for adolescent single parents, up to 90% support for childcare service fees for low-income single-parent families, and rental support for public housing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.