Songpa-gu Establishes Hotline for Identifying At-Risk Households

September 22 Songpa-gu Signs MOU with 10 Resident Life Contact Agencies for Identifying and Supporting At-Risk Households
Linked with 'Meter Reading Network' Visiting Every Household to Prevent Solitary Deaths and Address Welfare Blind Spots

Songpa-gu has taken the lead in uncovering hidden vulnerable households.

From now on, if meter readers or postal workers discover signs of vulnerable households in welfare blind spots during home visits, they will immediately report to Songpa-gu’s vulnerable household reporting channel, ‘Songpa Hope Talk,’ ensuring prompt welfare measures are taken.

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) signed a ‘Lonely Death Prevention and Welfare Blind Spot Discovery and Support Business Agreement’ on the 22nd with 10 resident-contact institutions including post offices, Cowon Energy, and KEPCO MCS Co., Ltd.

The partner institutions closely related to residents’ lives include ▲ Songpa Post Office ▲ Gangdong Waterworks Office ▲ National Health Insurance Service Songpa Branch ▲ Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation Songpa Residential Safety Comprehensive Center ▲ Cowon Energy Service ▲ KEPCO MCS Co., Ltd. Gangdong Songpa Branch ▲ Songpa Pharmaceutical Association ▲ Korea Goshiwon Association ▲ Korea Association of Realtors Songpa Branch ▲ Songpa-gu Social Welfare Council.

Under this agreement, the 10 partner institutions will act as welfare blind spot monitors by reporting suspected vulnerable households?such as those with overdue electricity, water, or gas bills, sudden changes in usage, or accumulated mail in mailboxes?through the KakaoTalk channel ‘Songpa Hope Talk’ while performing their duties as postal workers or meter readers.

Songpa-gu plans to promptly visit the reported sites through these channels, assess whether the households qualify for existing welfare programs such as basic livelihood security, lower-income brackets, or emergency welfare, and provide and connect them with customized welfare services.

Additionally, the district distributed welfare companion activity notebooks and leaflets containing major welfare projects such as emergency support to assist partner institutions in their field activities to discover vulnerable households.

Going forward, based on the resources and capabilities of each institution closely related to residents’ lives, the district plans to cooperate mutually to proactively identify socially isolated and welfare crisis households in Songpa-gu and minimize welfare blind spots through swift responses.

In particular, KEPCO MCS Co., Ltd. Gangdong Songpa Branch has committed to leading the discovery of vulnerable households, with all meter readers applying to become honorary social welfare officers of Songpa-gu even before the agreement.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “Recently, the number of vulnerable groups struggling with social isolation and economic difficulties has increased. We will strengthen Songpa-gu’s welfare safety net through close collaboration with postal workers and meter readers who traverse every corner of residents’ daily lives to ensure that vulnerable groups, including those at risk of lonely death, are not socially isolated.”

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