Minor Repairs, Ramp Installations... Yongin City's Eye-Catching 'Small Welfare' Initiatives

High Response to Community-Based Welfare for Elderly Living Alone and Transportation-Disadvantaged
Building a Virtuous Cycle of Welfare by Combining Self-Support Work for Vulnerable Groups

The 'small-scale welfare' in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, is attracting attention. Although it does not involve a large budget, welfare policies that provide practical help to marginalized groups and transportation-vulnerable individuals are receiving positive responses from citizens.

A resident of Suji-gu, Yongin, Mr. A said, "Living alone, I had nowhere to rely on and it was awkward to call someone, but having broken items repaired makes life much more comfortable." This is a reaction to the city's newly implemented 'Repair Service for Minor Malfunctions in Single Elderly Households' this year.

An employee of the self-support enterprise 'Hanuri Geonchuk' is visiting a single elderly household in Yongin City to perform minor repairs.
[Photo by Yongin City]

This service was launched to assist single elderly individuals aged 70 and above in the area. It provides simple repairs or replacements of everyday consumables. Although the budget is only 21.5 million KRW, 283 elderly people used the service by the end of June. The number far exceeded the city's initial estimate of 200, leading to early budget depletion. However, after learning about the project through the news, the Seowon Foundation donated 25 million KRW, enabling the city to continue the program.

It is also noteworthy that the self-support enterprise 'Hanuri Geonchuk,' which employs vulnerable groups to support their economic independence, is participating in this project. It is being praised for presenting a virtuous cycle welfare system that helps the economic independence of socially disadvantaged people while assisting single elderly individuals.

The 'Ramp Installation Project' for mobility-impaired individuals is also underway. The city started this project last year to assist citizens who need to use wheelchairs, accompany infants and toddlers, or use walking aids. The main installation targets are small, community-based facilities such as restaurants, beauty salons, and pharmacies. So far, ramps have been installed in 70 locations.

A ramp supported by the city is installed at the entrance of a restaurant in Yongin City.
[Photo by Yongin City]

Mr. B, a resident of Gugal-dong, Giheung-gu, said, "Even a low threshold was difficult to overcome with an electric wheelchair, but after the ramp installation, the inconvenience disappeared." This year, the city has allocated a budget of 37 million KRW to install ramps at 75 locations. Restaurants account for the highest proportion of applications, and ramp installations have been completed at 56 locations so far.

In addition, the city's 'Free Toy Rental Delivery Service,' which started in March this year, is also cited as an example of community-based 'small-scale welfare.' It targets families with disabled children who have difficulty visiting in person and families raising two or more infants under 36 months old. It was established to alleviate the inconvenience and economic burden of users who find it difficult to visit local toy libraries directly. Users can receive two toys and two books by delivery and rent them for two weeks, with the option to extend the rental period up to 28 days. Delivery and collection are provided free of charge by the courier company.

A Yongin city official said, "Because this welfare policy was created through active direct communication with citizens, it seems to have a high level of support," adding, "We will continue to develop projects that citizens can feel in their daily lives even with a small budget."

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