Suwon Launches Comprehensive Winter Support Task Force for Vulnerable Population

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon City announced on the 14th that it will intensively identify and support vulnerable populations left in winter welfare blind spots through February next year.

The city will establish the 'Winter Comprehensive Measures Task Force' headed by Seo Kyung-bo, director of the Welfare and Women's Department, and implement customized care and safety measures by target groups including low-income households, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and homeless individuals.

First, the city will identify vulnerable and crisis households during the winter season by utilizing the 'Welfare Blind Spot Discovery and Management System' within the Social Security System (Happiness e-um). In addition, it will minimize welfare blind spots by collaborating with social welfare organizations, neighborhood-level community welfare councils, volunteer social welfare workers, community leaders and representatives, and human care volunteers within the local welfare community.

Identified crisis households will receive support through 'emergency welfare' including living expenses, housing costs, medical expenses, education fees, welfare facility usage, and case management.

The city will freeze rental rates for LH public rental housing through December 2022 to ease residents' rental burden and help citizens living in non-residential spaces such as rooming houses and study rooms relocate to public rental housing.

Emergency childcare services will be provided to high-risk households such as elderly singles and persons with disabilities as well as vulnerable children, while low-income households such as those in the near-minimum-living-standard category will receive support for winter heating costs and boiler replacement expenses.

Low-income households and unemployed individuals facing economic difficulties will be connected to Suwon Hope 6000 and Suwon-type local job creation projects to provide employment opportunities. Legal information for debt adjustment will also be provided.

A city official stated, "This winter is expected to be more difficult than ever for vulnerable populations due to the added burden of COVID-19," and urged, "If you discover neighbors in difficulty, please do not overlook them and actively report it to your neighborhood administrative welfare center or the 129 Health and Welfare Consultation Center."