Gyeonggi Province to Conduct 2020 Homeless Population Survey

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hoon] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 13th that it will conduct the "2020 Gyeonggi Province Homeless Population Survey."

The survey is being conducted to prepare foundational data for developing customized self-reliance support policies for homeless individuals by confirming the number of homeless people in the province and identifying their welfare needs.

Through a business agreement, Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Welfare Foundation will proceed with ▲confirming the number of homeless people in Gyeonggi Province ▲surveying the health status, living conditions, and welfare support needs of homeless individuals in the province ▲establishing policy proposals and support plans tailored to the characteristics of homeless people.

The survey period runs for 11 months from February to December 2020, and to accurately confirm the homeless population, the survey will be conducted primarily using the Point-in-time Counting (PIT) method, which dispatches multiple surveyors to all cities and counties in the province at the same time on the survey day. Subsequently, when additional investigation is needed, in-depth interviews will be conducted with some homeless individuals, and an advisory meeting will be held with a group of experts.

Lee Byeong-woo, Director of the Welfare Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Homeless people are precious members of our local community who must not be left in the gaps of welfare support," and added, "Based on the results of this survey, we will establish a self-reliance support roadmap to enable more homeless individuals to lead stable lives in their local communities."

Meanwhile, it is estimated that approximately 970 homeless people currently exist in Gyeonggi Province, with 276 of them categorized as street homeless, and it is expected that more homeless individuals will be identified during the on-site survey.