Seoul City to Provide Free 'Hope Home Repairs' to 900 Households This Year... Priority Support for Semi-Basements with Children Residents

Selection of 700 Households Completed in the First Half, 200 Households Planned for the Second Half... Support for Insulation, Air Conditioners, Boilers, etc.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will repair the homes of 900 low-income, housing-vulnerable households for free this year through the "Hope Home Repair Project."

On the 31st, Seoul announced that it will prioritize households living in semi-basements with children under 18 years old for support this year. Since the living environment directly and decisively affects the physical, mental, and social development of growing children, the goal is to actively support households with children living in substandard housing conditions.

Seoul will select and support beneficiaries in the following order among applicants this year: households with children under 18 living in semi-basements, semi-basement households (up to 50% of all households), households with children under 18, and other households. Of the 900 households to be supported this year, 700 were selected through a public contest in the first half of the year, and home repairs will begin in June. The remaining 200 households will apply in September, with construction starting at the end of September.

The 700 households selected in the first half include 46 semi-basement households with children under 18, 343 semi-basement households, 53 households with children under 18, and 258 other households. Applications for the "Hope Home Repair Project" were accepted through announcements by autonomous districts in April at local community centers. A total of 782 households applied in the first half. Each district selects beneficiaries according to the allocated budget and notifies the applicants of the results.

Home repairs are carried out by construction companies selected by the district, who visit the beneficiary households to prepare estimates for the necessary work and coordinate schedules with the households before proceeding. Even households eligible for home repair but who missed out on the "Hope Home Repair Project" due to priority ranking can apply simultaneously for the Energy Efficiency Improvement Project, allowing them to receive support from the Korea Energy Foundation.

Additionally, items such as partitions and dehumidifiers, which were previously only available to semi-basement households, can now be requested by any "Hope Home Repair Project" beneficiary within the support budget. Mold removal has been newly categorized as a repair item to more thoroughly eliminate mold and enhance the effectiveness of the home repair work. Air conditioners supported under the Energy Efficiency Improvement Project will be installed promptly to prevent vulnerable groups from suffering health issues or crises during heatwaves.

The "Hope Home Repair Project" is a program that supports home repairs such as insulation, window replacement, and ceiling repairs to improve the living environment of low-income, housing-vulnerable households and to address energy welfare blind spots. Seoul has been implementing this project since 2009.

Since last year, Seoul has partnered with the Korea Energy Foundation to simultaneously support the "Energy Efficiency Improvement Project," which installs insulation, windows, boilers, and more upon citizens' request. Support is provided up to 3.2 million KRW per household with no out-of-pocket expenses. Seoul has arranged that citizens applying for the "Hope Home Repair Project" can also apply for the Energy Efficiency Improvement Project through the foundation and receive support from both programs. Seoul supports up to 1.2 million KRW per household for the "Hope Home Repair Project," while the Korea Energy Foundation supports an average of 2 million KRW per household for the Energy Efficiency Improvement Project.

Kim Seong-bo, Head of the Housing and Architecture Headquarters of Seoul, said, "Through Seoul's 'Hope Home Repair Project,' we hope to improve the living environment and provide practical housing stability for housing-vulnerable households, including those with children living in semi-basements. We will continue to expand the project to create a comfortable living environment."

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