Guro-gu, led by District Mayor Jang In-hong, is proactively identifying households at risk of hardship and safety threats during the summer heat wave and rolling out tailored welfare support suited to each family's circumstances.
The district will run an intensive application period for its "Heat Wave Preparedness Customized Welfare Support" program through Aug. 31, focusing on finding and assisting residents in heat-vulnerable housing or at high risk of social isolation.
Priority targets include residents in substandard housing — semi-basement units, gosiwon (small single-room lodgings) and single-room tenements — as well as elderly people living alone, people with disabilities and those with serious illnesses who need care and safety checks. Households facing sudden crises such as job loss, illness or a sharp drop in income are also included.
The district will work with local human safety networks — including welfare liaisons, neighborhood care teams and community social security councils — to identify households in need, and will publicize application and counseling procedures through banners and notices at neighborhood community centers.
Once identified, households will be directed to welfare counseling desks at their local community center, where staff will assess living conditions and welfare needs before recommending support programs suited to each family's situation.
Available programs include the National Basic Livelihood Security system — covering livelihood, medical, residential and education benefits — as well as the Seoul-type Basic Security system, emergency welfare assistance and near-poverty household support projects.
For residents who have difficulty visiting a community center due to mobility limitations, a caseworker will make a home visit when needed and help with completing benefit applications and gathering required documents.
Submitted applications will be reviewed based on income, assets and household characteristics before a support decision is made. During the intensive application period, the district will expedite counseling and investigations. Households with urgent needs will be connected to available public and private welfare services immediately, even before a formal review is complete.
"Heat waves are hard on everyone, but for residents in poor housing or social isolation, they can become a threat to life and safety," District Mayor Jang said. "Rather than waiting for residents in need to come to us, we will seek them out first and connect them quickly to support tailored to each household's situation." For more information, contact your local neighborhood community center or the Guro-gu Welfare Policy Division.
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