"Not to a Facility, but Back to the Neighborhood"... Gwangsan District’s 'Interim Home' Project Passes Resident Vote in Gwangju

73.6% Approval for Changing the Use of Seonun District Daycare Center
Integrated Care Model to Support Recovery and Community Reintegration of Discharged Patients

There was a hope that, even after leaving the hospital, people would be able to return not to a facility but to the neighborhoods where they had lived. The plan to establish “interim homes,” a core project of Gwangsan District’s “Home Where You Lived Project,” received over 70% approval in a resident vote. This marks the first nationwide attempt to bring care and medical services into local living areas, and it is now moving forward with the support of local residents.

On May 19, Gwangsan District announced that the resident vote on changing the use of the Seonun District daycare center, held from May 4 to 8 in relation to the country’s first daycare center-based interim home construction project, passed with 73.6% approval.

Previously, Gwangsan District was selected as the only “intensive care type” model in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s call for proposals for the “2026 Interim Home Model Establishment Project.” The Ministry of Health and Welfare is implementing Gwangsan District’s “Home Where You Lived Project” as one of its standard models for the first time this year.

Gwangsan District in Gwangju held an on-site briefing session on April 23 at Seonun Hope Town Complex 2 to communicate with residents about the nation's first intermediary network construction project utilizing daycare centers. Photo by Gwangsan District

An interim home is a residential space where citizens discharged from hospitals or nursing facilities can stay and receive support for recovery and care before returning to the community. Gwangsan District plans to utilize the currently unused daycare center at Seonun Hope Town Complex 2 to establish both the interim home and a care home center, which will serve as a care platform.

Since April, Gwangsan District has held three explanatory sessions for residents, explaining the purpose and operational direction of the project and gathering feedback. During this process, experts in the housing field, including those from the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements and LH Land & Housing Institute, also visited the site to review the project’s direction.

In this resident vote, 476 out of 591 households participated, marking a participation rate of 81%. Of these, 435 households voted in favor, resulting in a final approval rate of 73.6%.

Seonun Hope Town Complex 2 Daycare Center. Gwangsan District plans to establish an intermediate facility at this daycare center, which is currently not in operation, to serve as a hub for community-tailored integrated care. Provided by Gwangsan District

Gwangsan District plans to invest 200 million won in project funds secured through selection by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to establish an interim home with more than 10 units and a care home center staffed by professionals. Through this, the district aims to support rehabilitation and return to daily life for citizens in recovery after discharge, while also operating health and care programs for local residents. In addition, the district will complete the creation of these spaces by June through follow-up administrative procedures such as consultations with LH and architectural reviews.

Lee Jiyeong, head of the Care Support Team at Gwangsan District, said, “Thanks to the active participation of many residents, the ‘Home Where You Lived Project’ can now move to a new stage,” adding, “We will successfully establish a residential-based integrated care system to support the dignity of citizens’ lives.”

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