16th 'Dream House' Completed as Volunteers Give Up Their Weekends

Jeonju Volunteer Group Repairs Home for Siblings with Disabilities

From Rooftop to Flooring, Every Corner of the House Renewed

After their mother passed away, a younger sister was left to care for her older brother with disabilities on her own. They have endured life in an old, run-down house, with a leaky roof and aging windows and doors.

On May 10, the Jeonju Housing Welfare Center (headed by Eunju Oh) and the Ujeonghoe Home Repair Volunteer Group (led by Yong-An Kim) visited the home of the siblings with disabilities in Dongseohak-dong, Wansan-gu, to carry out a volunteer project to improve their living conditions. This marks the 16th “Dream House” completed by the Ujeonghoe Home Repair Volunteer Group, a self-organized association of small business owners who donate their time on weekends.

More than 30 people, including Ujeonghoe members, their families, and staff from the Housing Welfare Center, participated in the project that day. They tackled every corner of the house, taking care of rooftop waterproofing, installing insulated windows and doors, replacing the kitchen sink, and wallpapering and flooring. The home belongs to a brother, a registered person with disabilities and recipient of basic livelihood security, and his younger sister who has been caring for him since their mother passed away last year.

The cost of the repairs was covered by Ujeonghoe members’ dues, case management funds from the Dongseohak-dong Community Center, sponsorship from Korea Electrical Safety Corporation, and donations collected by local residents who learned of the family's situation. On the day the home repairs were completed, the volunteer group’s women’s association also invited senior citizens from the neighborhood and served them noodles and snacks. In celebration of Family Month in May, it was a chance for neighbors to share warmth and care with one another.

The Ujeonghoe Home Repair Volunteer Group has been offering its skills to support vulnerable households since 2013. Over the past 12 years, they have completed 16 “Dream Houses.” On average, this means more than one home per year has been renovated by small business owners donating their weekends to help their neighbors.

Yong-An Kim, head of the volunteer group, said, “A home should be safe for everyone,” adding, “We will continue to join hands with the local community to bridge the gaps in housing welfare.” Eunju Oh, head of the Housing Welfare Center, expressed gratitude, saying, “I thank everyone who has generously offered their skills and support for families unable to manage home repairs due to financial difficulties,” and appealed, “We ask for the continued interest of the local community so that more households can benefit through public-private cooperation.”

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