Suwon City's 'Multi-Child Suwon Human Housing' Wins Grand Prize at 5th Korea Local Government Policy Awards

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] The 'Multi-Child Suwon Human Housing' policy being implemented by Suwon City received the grand prize at the '5th Korea Local Government Policy Awards.'

The Korea Local Government Policy Awards, sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, is an award given to metropolitan and local governments and local legislatures that have promoted excellent policies. A panel of judges, composed of Kim Soon-eun, Chairman of the Committee on Self-Governance and Decentralization (Chairman of the Judging Panel), and Choi Im-kwang, President of the Korea Policy Development Association, selected outstanding local governments through their evaluation.

The 'Multi-Child Suwon Human Housing,' a residential welfare policy, is a rental housing provided free of charge to homeless multi-child households facing difficulties in acquiring homes.

Starting with the first move-in of a family with six children in November 2018, a total of 22 households have moved into the Multi-Child Suwon Human Housing. Residents can live there for up to 20 years, and only need to pay management fees, thereby reducing housing costs. The city prioritizes purchasing first-floor units so multi-child families can live without worrying about inter-floor noise, and provides housing in areas chosen by beneficiaries, taking into account parents' workplaces and children's schools.

In July, the city signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding on Support for Multi-Child Household Suwon Human Housing' with LH (Korea Land and Housing Corporation) and established a cooperation system. LH supplies some of its purchased rental housing as 'Multi-Child Suwon Human Housing,' and Suwon City supports rental deposits and rent.

LH supplies purchased rental housing to multi-child households with four or more children as Suwon Human Housing, and manages and operates the facilities. The plan is to supply 30 to 35 units annually from 2021 to 2025.

Mayor Yeom Tae-young of Suwon attended the award ceremony held on November 27 at Kensington Hotel Central Park Hall in Yeouido, Seoul. Mayor Yeom Tae-young said, "Recently, many people have been facing difficulties due to rising jeonse prices in the greater Seoul area. In particular, multi-child families have difficulty finding housing that meets minimum housing standards," and added, "Local governments that best understand these difficulties must take the lead." He continued, "I hope that cases of conceptualizing ideas and collaborating with public institutions for implementation will expand nationwide."