A man in his 70s who had been wandering the streets of Seoul's Seongbuk-gu nearly blind has been rescued and placed in safe, permanent care, thanks to persistent community outreach and integrated case management by the district.
The man, identified only as A, was evicted from his home in mid-April after falling behind on monthly rent, leaving him with nowhere to go. He was already suffering from severe cataracts that had left him nearly sightless, and chronic conditions including diabetes had gone untreated. Deep distrust of others and mental instability compounded his isolation. Police on patrol found him feeling his way along walls as he wandered through the streets and transferred him to the local community center.
Seongbuk-gu's Hope Welfare Support Team convened an emergency case meeting. The investigation found that A's finances, physical health, housing and care network had all completely collapsed, classifying him as an "ultra-high-risk" single-person household. The team's first priority was securing temporary shelter to ensure his immediate survival. They initially sought a short-term hospital admission, but A resisted fiercely, saying he feared being locked up. Despite his uncooperative stance, the team pressed on with sincere persuasion and eventually succeeded in getting him admitted.
Once his health had partially recovered through treatment, the district quickly arranged a two-week placement at a short-term care facility. Staff then met with him daily, gradually earning his trust.
The team then turned its full attention to finding A a permanent home. They applied to have his long-term care rating reclassified and searched for a suitable facility. Finding a place equipped to handle both serious mental health needs and severe vision loss proved difficult, but with help from the wider community, a placement at a long-term care facility in Gyeonggi Province was ultimately secured.
A is now receiving round-the-clock care at the facility, with regular meals and medication management bringing stability to his daily life. "I can get around now without being afraid of falling, and I eat on time, so I feel at ease," he said. "I feel like there's finally someone looking out for me — I'm grateful." The roughly two-and-a-half months of relentless effort by welfare workers had brought light to what had been a life of darkness.
Seongbuk-gu District Mayor Lee Seung-ro said the outcome was "a meaningful result achieved through the combined efforts of the public and private sectors, starting with a police officer who noticed an elderly man wandering the streets." He added that the district would continue to identify neighbors who had fallen through the cracks in the care system and deliver robust integrated case management that the community sees through to the end.
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