Gyeonggi Province Becomes First in Nation to Fully Support Rental Deposits for Youth in Self-Reliance Preparation

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gapdong] Gyeonggi Province will pursue the 'Housing Cost Support Project for Youth in Self-Reliance Preparation' in the second half of this year, becoming the first in the nation to provide full support (100% provincial funds) for rental deposits of self-reliant youth moving into public rental housing operated by Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation.

Self-reliant youth refers to young people aged 18 and older who begin standing on their own after receiving care from child welfare facilities, group homes (communal living arrangements), or foster care. Approximately 260 such youth are produced annually in Gyeonggi Province alone.

In response, the province is moving beyond the existing method of providing partial rental deposit support to now offer full support for standard rental deposits ranging from a minimum of 1 million won to a maximum of 72.66 million won required for moving into Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation public rental housing (for existing subsidy recipients, the entire difference will be covered). Both new residents and existing residents can receive the same support. The provincial government has secured 830 million won in project budgets using citizen return funds.

The project scale covers 78 units. The province will proceed through administrative procedures including private delegation deliberation and contract conclusion, receiving applications through delegated institutions from the second half of this year onwards.

Previously, in June and July of last year, two self-reliant youth in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province took their own lives at monthly intervals as they were beginning their lives in society. In 2022, two self-reliant youth in Gwangju Metropolitan City also made extreme choices. One of the major difficulties self-reliant youth face when entering society is housing insecurity.

In response, the province recognized the urgency of support measures for self-reliant youth and formed a cooperation body with the provincial council and related agencies starting in 2022 to create stable housing environments for self-reliant youth. Subsequently, the province has held residential support forums, countermeasure meetings, and policy discussion sessions to concretize support projects, including establishing youth-customized counseling centers to provide diverse social service information and creating systems that offer housing welfare and support projects all at once.

In January 2023, through the initiative of Gyeonggi Provincial Council Member Kim Tae-hyung, the province established legal grounds by including the definition of self-reliant youth in the 'Gyeonggi Province Housing Basic Ordinance.' Recently, Gyeonggi Province also completed consultations with the Ministry of Health and Welfare regarding the establishment of this new social security system.

Meanwhile, to rapidly support housing stability for self-reliant youth, the province has integrated the Hope Stepping Stone Center (Hwaseong·Goyang) previously operated by Gyeonggi Welfare Foundation, the individual private delegation project Mentor-Mentee Together, and mental health counseling support into the Gyeonggi Self-Reliance Support Dedicated Agency project this year, operating 24 housing units (18 self-reliant living facilities and 6 self-reliant experience facilities).

The Hope Stepping Stone Center provides housing spaces for self-reliant youth and case management services, serving as residential spaces (self-reliant living facilities) to provide swift and smooth close support. The number of staff at the self-reliance support dedicated agency has been significantly increased from 37 last year to 62 this year, making efforts for the stable social settlement of self-reliant youth.

Lee Gye-sam, Director of Urban Housing at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Self-reliant youth must grow and become self-sufficient as confident members of our society, and society as a whole must become a strong support system," adding, "I hope that through our benefits, self-reliant youth will adapt socially and economically with hope and courage."