Seongdong-gu Official's Persistent Efforts Open Door to Homeless Independence, 'Heartwarming'

A public official from Seongdong-gu Office (left) is visiting the community service center with Mr. Park, who was living as a homeless person, to register his change of residence.

Mr. Park, who had been homeless for over 3 years, secures housing through the persistent persuasion of a Seongdong District Office official

Assisted with resident registration re-enrollment, emergency support, and basic living allowance application to connect living expenses and promote independence

Seongdong District (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has become a topic of interest after a homeless man successfully reintegrated into society thanks to the relentless efforts of a district official in charge of homelessness.

There are 10 homeless individuals living on the streets in Seongdong District, and the responsible department conducts patrols of the streets at least once a day. During these patrols, the district connects homeless people with various welfare services such as counseling, provision of supplies, facility admission, and hospital transfers.

Mr. Park, a man in his 50s who had been homeless at Sangwon Children's Park in Seongsu-dong, had been living on the streets for well over three years. Although he had once stayed at a homeless shelter, he struggled with communal living and eventually returned to the streets.

Despite the severe cold during the Lunar New Year holiday, he was so closed off that he insisted he would not freeze to death on the streets. However, through continuous persuasion by the responsible official and a "No-No Dolbomi" worker (a self-support worker with homelessness experience who directly cares for homeless individuals), he finally decided to return to society.

Mr. No, a public officer assigned to the Basic Welfare Division in January, took the initiative by handling administrative tasks on behalf of Mr. Park, who was confused and unsure of what to do. With cooperation from a neighboring autonomous district, they searched for and contracted a goshiwon (a small, affordable lodging). After re-registering his deleted resident registration and filing a move-in report, they applied for emergency support and basic living allowance to cover living and housing expenses.

Mr. Park tearfully said, "I am truly grateful to Seongdong District Office for helping me, and I will remember the warm heart of the official in charge and try my best to live well." Although becoming a basic living allowance recipient has not dramatically improved his life, the official’s persistent efforts gave him the courage to take one more step forward.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong District, stated, “Thanks to the unseen efforts of a young official, we were able to deliver warmth to someone in a blind spot.” He added, “We will continue to conduct outreach activities for homeless people on the streets and work in various ways to support their social reintegration and independence.”

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