Seocho-gu Supports Home Repairs and Emotional Care for Flood-Damaged Households

[Seoul District News] Seocho-gu Starts Volunteer Applications from the 22nd, Collaborates with Private Repair Companies to Support Home Repairs, Cleaning, and Organization & Provides Ongoing Customized Welfare Services Including Emergency Welfare and Psychological Counseling ... Yeongdeungpo-gu Launches Safe Lease Contract Assistance for Single-Person Households ... Geumcheon-gu Operates Public Resource Sharing Service 'Gongyunuri'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Support for home repairs and emotional recovery is beginning for residents who have suffered flood damage in poor housing conditions.

Seocho-gu (District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced on the 19th that it will promote the comprehensive housing environment service project "Seocho Hope Home Care" for vulnerable housing groups affected by the recent record-breaking heavy rains and flooding.

Volunteer organizations and private repair companies will be organized to provide one-stop support for home repairs, cleaning, organizing, and disinfection for the elderly, disabled, and low-income vulnerable housing groups.

Home repair costs will be reimbursed up to a maximum of 1.2 million KRW per household, paid to landlords or tenants who have paid for the repairs. Additionally, for low-income households affected by flooding, cleaning, disinfection, and organizing services will be provided through on-site surveys and case meetings at local community centers.

Besides housing improvement services, this project will also support ▲emergency welfare and case management project funds, private resources, etc. ▲rental housing information guidance for vulnerable households such as semi-basement units ▲psychological counseling linkage through disaster psychological recovery support centers and mental health centers ▲and operate a ‘Visiting Housing Welfare Counseling Office’ through the Seocho Housing Welfare Safety Center.

Applications will be accepted from the 22nd at local community centers. Applications can be made by landlords or tenants, and related documents proving self-funded repairs must be submitted.

Mr. Kim OO, a household affected by the recent flooding, expressed relief and gratitude, saying, “I was exhausted both physically and mentally due to the flood damage, so I am thankful to receive this kind of help.”

Seocho-gu Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “We will support various services for residents going through difficult times due to flood damage to help them quickly recover their daily lives.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it will begin a pilot operation of the ‘Safe Lease Contract Assistance Service for Single-Person Households’ from September 19 to alleviate housing insecurity and support stable settlement for single-person households.

According to Statistics Korea, as of 2020, the number of single-person households in Yeongdeungpo-gu was 64,000, of which 47,445 (74%) live in rental housing.

With the increase in single-person households, the proportion of rental housing residents has also risen annually, causing various social problems such as empty lease contracts, illegal building rentals, and double contracts.

In response, the district decided to provide the ‘Safe Lease Contract Assistance Service’ for single-person households, who are vulnerable to damages during lease contracts due to lack of real estate transaction experience and expertise, such as young workers and first-time renters.

This service, selected through the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s single-person household support project, appoints certified real estate agents familiar with local conditions as Housing Safety Managers to provide four main support services: ▲lease contract consultation ▲housing search assistance ▲accompanied housing safety inspections ▲policy guidance.

Housing Safety Managers offer customized consultations to prevent lease contract damages by checking official documents such as the registry and building ledger, and contract precautions. They accompany single-person households who feel uneasy visiting properties alone to inspect building conditions and provide on-site advice. If necessary, they also accompany clients throughout the contract process.

The ‘Safe Lease Contract Assistance Service’ is free for any single-person household residing or planning to reside in the area, regardless of age or gender. Pre-registration is available through the Seoul Single-Person Household Portal or the Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Child and Youth Welfare Division.

The consultation office operates every Monday and Thursday from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM on the 6th floor of the Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Annex, Child and Youth Welfare Division. Outside regular hours, services can be arranged on weekdays or weekends by scheduling with the Housing Safety Manager.

Meanwhile, the district is promoting the service by posting banners in densely populated single-person household areas such as Yeongdeungpo-dong, Dangsan-dong, and Singil-dong, and utilizing local resources like social welfare facilities and housing counseling centers to reach more residents.

Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Choi Ho-kwon said, “We hope the Safe Lease Contract Assistance Service will prevent rental fraud and alleviate housing insecurity for single-person households. We will continue to actively identify welfare blind spots and develop practical support measures for single-person households.”

Geumcheon-gu (District Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon) announced that it will operate the public resource opening and sharing service ‘Gongyu Nuri’ to efficiently utilize shared resources and enhance resident convenience.

‘Gongyu Nuri’ is a national public sharing service portal where citizens can easily and conveniently search and reserve shared resources such as facilities and goods opened by central administrative agencies, local governments, and public institutions online.

Geumcheon-gu has surveyed and discovered publicly shareable resources within the district and is opening about 200 public resources such as meeting rooms and lecture halls through the ‘Gongyu Nuri’ website.

Residents wishing to use public open resources can search and reserve desired resources on the Gongyu Nuri website or app, and can check nearby public resources at a glance using the shared resource map.

Geumcheon-gu Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon said, “We will strive to provide accurate information and manage the system systematically so that residents can access and utilize public resources more easily. We will continue to discover available public resources to contribute to the spread of a sharing culture.”

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