Gwangju City to Support 'Disabled Independence' for 20 People Annually Until 2026

Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kang Gi-jung) is accelerating efforts to support deinstitutionalization and independent living by establishing housing and self-reliance systems so that people with disabilities residing in facilities can stably become independent in the local community.

On the 8th, Gwangju City announced that through the "Five-Year Plan to Guarantee Deinstitutionalized Independent Living," it will promote a project for the independence of 80 people with disabilities by 2026, supporting 20 people each year.

Through the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s "Pilot Project for Establishing a Support System for the Independence of People with Disabilities in Facilities," from March 31 to May 3, five people with disabilities residing in facilities were supported to leave the facilities and live independently in housing.

The city has formed and operated a public-private joint Disability Independence Support Committee, selecting 15 individuals for independence so far, and has been focusing on building a meticulous independent living guarantee system by supporting five of them to start independent living first.

The Disability Independence Support Committee reviews the appropriateness of individual support plans and provides personalized housing maintenance services including safety, job participation, medical care, culture and leisure, and human rights protection.

Gwangju City is also closely collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, LH Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Headquarters, and Gwangju Urban Corporation to secure support housing, the most basic element for independence, and is actively working to create a pleasant residential environment.

The "Pilot Project for Establishing a Support System for the Independence of People with Disabilities in Facilities" was launched by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2022 through a public contest to support the independence of people with disabilities. Ten local governments, including Gwangju City, were selected to carry out the project.

The pilot project implementing agency in the Gwangju area is the Gwangju City Comprehensive Support Center for People with Disabilities. Skilled independence investigators have surveyed the readiness for independence and service needs of 53 people with disabilities in 18 residential facilities so far, and will continue to assess the desire for independence among people with disabilities residing in facilities.

Yoo Hyun-seop, Director of the Gwangju City Comprehensive Support Center for People with Disabilities, said, "To minimize safety issues and maladaptation to the community after independence, we will promote longitudinal research on independent people with disabilities and develop safety content, and do our best to support the independence of people with disabilities by providing high-quality housing maintenance services."

Kim Nam-ju, Director of the Disability Welfare Division, said, "In the future, to help more people with disabilities settle in the community, related organizations such as the center, Ministry of Health and Welfare, LH, and Urban Corporation will cooperate to actively support securing housing and providing welfare services. Through the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s ‘Pilot Project for Establishing a Support System for the Independence of People with Disabilities in Facilities’ and Gwangju City’s ‘Second Five-Year Plan to Guarantee Deinstitutionalized Independent Living,’ we will actively promote the goal of supporting the independence of 80 people with disabilities by 2026, supporting 20 people each year."

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