Seoul Districts Embrace 'Single-Person Households' Trend... What Are the Countermeasures?

Yeongdeungpo-gu, Serving as an Educational and Exchange Hub with the Establishment of a Support Center for Single-Person Households

Gwangjin-gu Launches Single-Person Household Support Portal Allowing Applications for Supplies and Educational Programs

Seongdong-gu’s Single-Person Household Support Center Established a Year Ago Gains Popularity with Many Users

Yeongdeungpo-gu Single-Person Household Support Center Opening Ceremony

In each of Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts, 'single-person households' are becoming the trend.

While young people mainly form single-person households due to phenomena such as marriage avoidance, elderly individuals also make up a significant portion of single-person households.

Accordingly, Seoul’s autonomous districts are actively preparing counseling, education, and social spaces for single-person households.

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) has been fully operating the ‘Single-Person Household Support Center’ and the ‘Communication Space (Singgeulbungeul Sarangbang)’ established in the annex of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office since August 7. As of August, there are 95,305 single-person households in Yeongdeungpo-gu, accounting for about 50% of the total 195,310 households. In response to the increase in single-person households, the district relocated the Single-Person Household Support Center, which was previously within the Yeongdeungpo Family Center, and created a communication space where single-person households can rest, meet, and engage in community activities. Yeongdeungpo-gu is the first among Seoul’s autonomous districts to establish a Single-Person Household Support Center within the district office building.

The Single-Person Household Support Center and communication space were created on the first floor of Building G in the annex of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office, covering an area of 80㎡. The Support Center includes an ‘office’ that serves as an integrated platform for providing information and managing projects for single-person households, and a ‘psychological counseling room’ for personal counseling and mentoring. The communication space features a ‘shared kitchen’ equipped with various cooking utensils for preparing food, and an ‘open space’ designed for rest, leisure activities, and social interaction.

The Single-Person Household Support Center was selected this year as the executing agency for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s ‘Support Project for the Formation of Social Networks for Single-Person Households.’ It promotes various projects that help single-person households maintain a healthy and independent life, including counseling, education, culture and leisure, and self-help group activities. Additionally, the district plans to launch the Yeongdeungpo-gu Single-Person Household Support Center website by the end of August, where program information for single-person households can be easily accessed. Future academies for single-person households will include ‘Daily Life Skills’ to enhance everyday capabilities, ‘Self-Discovery’ to encourage healthy hobbies, and programs like ‘Learning Crew’ and ‘Forest Experience’ to foster social relationships.

Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) has developed the ‘Gwangjin Single-Person Household Platform,’ the first of its kind in Seoul, to systematically support the rapidly increasing number of single-person households, and started the service on the 18th. This platform integrates previously scattered service application platforms into one, enhancing efficiency and convenience.

The app can be searched and installed from the Play Store or App Store, and after a simple registration, users can access the services. It allows users to conveniently search and apply for programs offered by the ‘Single-Person Household Support Center’ via smartphone, and facilitates social networking among users through exchanges.

Through this app, users can easily apply for ▲rental of daily necessities and camping supplies needed by single-person households ▲facility reservations such as club rooms and broadcasting rooms ▲counseling, education, leisure, and daily life support programs ▲club activities for forming social networks. Additionally, a kiosk system and a non-face-to-face entry authentication system have been installed for visitors to the center to enhance user convenience. For further inquiries, contact the Gwangjin-gu Single-Person Household Support Center.

The district is also promoting various projects to support single-person households, including ▲operation of the Single-Person Household Support Center ▲provision of safety supplies for single-person households ▲operation of a safe return scout service ▲short-term care services for discharged single-person households ▲check-in services to prevent solitary deaths ▲support for minor home repairs for single-person households ▲half-price brokerage fee service for single-person households, implementing policies that are practically needed by single-person households.

A scene of drawing as a hobby activity at Seongdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Center

Seongdong-gu (District Mayor Jung Won-oh) opened its Single-Person Household Support Center in August last year. The Seongdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Center differentiates itself from existing welfare facilities by focusing on preventive solutions to the increasing issues faced by single-person households. While existing welfare facilities have concentrated on vulnerable middle-aged groups, elderly living alone, and youth, the Seongdong-gu Support Center operates programs targeting the general middle-aged population who may be at potential risk of poverty at any time.

Based on a survey conducted by the district in November 2022, the actual needs of single-person household residents in the area were analyzed and programs were developed accordingly. Thanks to these efforts, over 5,000 residents participated in the Support Center’s programs over the past year, receiving strong positive responses.

Representative programs include the ‘Health Maru’ project, which promotes exercise and habit formation for health improvement among single-person households; the ‘Drawing Maru’ project, which offers art therapy, stress relief, and emotional stability programs for mental health recovery; and the ‘Seongdong Dangdang’ project, which provides counseling, education, and leisure programs for relationship health.

Beyond these, the Support Center also focuses on intergenerational integration, community linkage and cooperation, and volunteer activities. Notably, the Seongdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Group, mainly composed of university students and young people majoring in health and medical fields, actively engages in volunteer activities such as home medical visits and oral health education.

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