District runs 'Intensive Welfare Check Days' before and after the holiday for seniors and single-person households; high-risk residents to receive continuous monitoring throughout the break
Advance home inspections, holiday meal support and an emergency response unit ensure no gaps in the care safety net over the long weekend
Seoul's Seongdong-gu will run a comprehensive Chuseok welfare program called "Seongdong Steady Care" from Thursday through Sept. 29 to help residents who need assistance spend a safe and warm holiday.
The initiative aims to minimize care gaps around the Chuseok holiday period and provide tailored support to preempt crisis situations.
Before the holiday, welfare care teams at each neighborhood community center will work with 344 members of local community welfare councils and 43 neighborhood care volunteers to check on the living conditions and health of households that may need support, connecting them with appropriate welfare services covering health, meals and daily safety.
The district will also prevent meal gaps during the holiday. A total of 1,192 people — including seniors who use welfare center meal programs or normally receive meal support, people with disabilities and other care-service recipients — will receive special holiday meals and food packages in advance to ensure no one goes without food during the break.
Sept. 22, 23, 28 and 29 have been designated "Intensive Welfare Check Days." District office civil servants, community welfare council members, neighborhood care volunteers and welfare account managers will check in on 5,642 people spending the holiday alone — including elderly residents, middle-aged adults and young single-person households — through home visits, phone calls and smart welfare check services. Residents classified as high-risk for health or safety concerns will receive continuous check-ins throughout the holiday to ensure no care gaps arise.
Alongside this, the district will establish an emergency contact network linking the district office, neighborhood community centers, 23 meal and care service providers and neighborhood-level human safety networks, and will operate an emergency response unit to handle any urgent situations or care needs that arise during the holiday.
"There must be no gaps in care, even during the holidays," Seongdong-gu District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa said. "We will look after every resident spending the holiday alone or in need of support, and activate a robust welfare safety net together with the community so that the help they need reaches them in time."
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