Yongsan-gu, Why Focused Promotion on Identifying At-Risk Households?

From August 9 to September 10, 956 Private Welfare Workers and Welfare Planners Deployed... Intensive Promotion at Supermarkets, Convenience Stores, Beauty Salons, Hospitals, Pharmacies, Side Dish Shops, Snack Bars... Counseling and Support Procedures Followed Upon Discovery of At-Risk Households

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan District

Magnetic Sticker

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seongjang Hyun) is conducting focused publicity centered on small-scale, daily life-related businesses to identify welfare-vulnerable groups suffering from hardships due to COVID-19.

On the 10th, a man in his 50s, Mr. Kim, who had been living in his car after his house was auctioned off, was found dead. Recently, the number of single-person households, including elderly people living alone who need neighbors' attention, has been increasing. It is a time when more intensive identification and support for at-risk households are necessary.

The district produced 2,000 pill cases and 10,000 magnet-attached flyers with the phrase "Please find neighbors in need" to discover at-risk households. The magnet-attached flyers include not only the representative phone number of the local community center but also the KakaoTalk Plus Friend "Ddokddok Yongsan" and a QR code for the single-person household safety prevention app "Yongsan Ddokddok Salpimi App" to easily report at-risk households.

The main targets for publicity are 800 small-scale, daily life-related businesses such as hospitals, snack and fast-food shops, supermarkets, hair salons, convenience stores, and pharmacies.

To distribute promotional materials to small-scale daily life-related businesses and local residents, 665 honorary social welfare officers, 15 Our Neighborhood Care Team members, 194 Neighbors' Watch members, and 82 community welfare planners will participate.

If an at-risk or vulnerable household in need of help is found, they will be guided to fill out a counseling application form and deliver it to the social worker (welfare planner) at the local community center. Afterwards, the community welfare planner visits the site for a second counseling session.

A district official said, "If confirmed as an at-risk household, support will be provided through public benefits, private resource services linkage, and case management," adding, "For households suddenly facing difficulties due to COVID-19, living expenses, medical expenses, and housing costs (up to 3 million KRW for a family of four) will be supported."

The district has conducted focused identification of urgent support targets affected by COVID-19, such as those who have closed or suspended businesses, unemployed daily workers, and those delinquent on health insurance premiums, three times since early this year. Through this, investigations of a total of 2,724 people were completed, and welfare services were provided to 2,199 people in need.

Seongjang Hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, "Attention and reports are needed for residents who find it difficult to overcome their situations on their own," adding, "A simple greeting asking about a neighbor on the way can be a matter of saving someone's life."

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