A punishing heat wave has made simply stepping outside feel suffocating.
For homeless people living on the streets, getting through each day in such heat is an urgent challenge.
Yeongdeungpo-gu, led by District Mayor Jo Yu-jin, is stepping up its collaboration with police to protect street-dwelling homeless people vulnerable to the heat and to ensure the safety of residents.
The district operates a 12-person, three-team "homeless street counseling unit" focused on high-concentration areas including the Yeongdeungpo Station area, Yeongdeungpo Park and jjokbangchon, a neighborhood of low-cost single-room housing.
Working in three shifts around the clock, the unit provides a range of welfare services — counseling homeless individuals, connecting them to emergency overnight accommodations, directing them to medical facilities, and helping them access heat-relief shelters and protective facilities.
The district is also boosting its on-the-ground response capacity by joining forces with police.
Together with Team 1 of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Wide-Area Prevention Patrol Unit 2, the district will conduct intensive joint patrols twice a month in densely populated areas. It is also working with the Yeongdeungpo Station police box to carry out weekly joint patrols covering the station area and the jjokbangchon neighborhood.
The expanded police partnership has broadened the scope of field response.
In addition to street counseling and welfare referrals, the joint effort will address public-order violations and crime prevention. For homeless individuals showing signs of mental illness or violent behavior, the district plans to take preemptive action in coordination with relevant agencies.
The goal is to protect homeless people on the streets while creating a neighborhood environment where residents feel safe.
Heat-wave measures for homeless people are also continuing.
The district currently operates five heat-relief shelters for homeless people, including the Hope Support Center and the Ongdalsam Drop-in Center. Free meals are provided through partnerships with four organizations — Thomas's House, Yeonggwang Church, Bapsarang Open Community and Gwangya Church.
The district also continues to provide welfare services tailored to each homeless individual's circumstances, including medical support and placement in protective facilities.
Yeongdeungpo-gu expects the strengthened police collaboration to help not only protect homeless people in crisis but also improve safety management and the pedestrian environment in densely populated areas such as the Yeongdeungpo Station area.
"Going forward, we will work closely with police, welfare facilities, medical institutions and other relevant agencies to build an even tighter safety net for homeless people, strengthen our on-the-ground response capacity, and create a community where residents can feel secure," District Mayor Jo said.
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