Suwon City Implements Special Winter Protection Measures for Homeless Persons

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] As winter approaches, Suwon City is implementing the '2019-2020 Winter Special Protection Measures for Homeless Persons.'

The city will form and operate a 'Homeless Protection Safety Network' with participation from the private sector, government, and police through April of next year in order to prevent safety accidents such as freezing deaths and to promptly identify and support homeless persons in crisis.

The protection safety network involves 68 institutions including the Social Welfare Divisions of Suwon City and district offices, the Suwon Fresh Start Comprehensive Support Center for Homeless Persons, the Suwon West Police Station, and the 119 Emergency Response Team.

The city operates a 'Street Homeless Emergency Response Team' to meet and provide protection and support to homeless persons in the field. The emergency response team, composed of psychiatrists and crisis management counselors, provides necessary items such as hand warmers, sleeping bags, and winter clothing. Emergency shelter accommodations (temporary shelters) where homeless persons can rest are also being prepared.

The temporary shelters established at Suwon Station's 'Kkumteo' and other locations will be operated 24 hours intensively through March of next year and will provide relief supplies such as emergency medical supplies and drinking water. When cold wave warnings are issued, the 'Homeless Free Meal Center (Jeong Na-noom-teo)' will be additionally opened and expanded to operate as a temporary shelter. It will be available from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day.

Female homeless persons will be supported with emergency temporary housing (such as goshiwon rooms and motels) and then quickly transferred to female protection institutions.

The city will also conduct 'Homeless Health Management and Emergency Medical Support' to periodically check the health status of homeless persons and prevent winter safety accidents. Gyeonggi Province Medical Center Suwon Hospital, the health centers of four districts, and private medical institutions with which agreements have been signed (Ajou Daenam Hospital, Hana Hospital, Ajou Pyeonhan Hospital) will participate.

On the third Thursday of each month, the 'Free Clinic for Street Homeless Persons' operated by Gyeonggi Province Medical Center Suwon Hospital is established at Suwon Station's Kkumteo. Simple health checkups including infectious diseases such as tuberculosis are available, and emergency medical care is also possible.

Baik Woon-o, Director of the Social Welfare Division of the city, said, "We will focus on preventing safety accidents among homeless persons" and "Through various protection measures, we will provide support so that homeless persons can spend a warm winter."

Meanwhile, the city provided 4,146 emergency shelter accommodations, facility admission (34 cases), hospital admission and referrals (648 cases), and relief supplies (4,328 cases) to homeless persons last winter. No deaths from freezing occurred in densely populated homeless areas such as Suwon Station last winter.