Seoul's Jung-gu district said Wednesday it has broadened its welfare monitoring program and is moving to provide emergency welfare support more quickly as part of efforts to build a tighter social safety net.
The district has consistently strengthened welfare monitoring to identify households in crisis at an early stage. This year, it extended that reach to include households that are difficult to contact or whose residency status is hard to confirm. The district also partnered with local real estate agents familiar with neighborhood conditions, distributing "welfare consultation QR stickers" to 92 licensed real estate offices in January. As a result, the number of people under monitoring rose 28 percent year-on-year as of the end of last month, while the number of at-risk households identified climbed 30 percent. In the first half of last year, the district monitored 82 households and identified 31 in crisis. This year it has accelerated the pace, monitoring 105 households and identifying 40 as of the end of last month.
ikson@heraldcorp.com
