In Songnim 3·5-dong of Jemulpo-gu, Incheon, the local community has rolled up its sleeves together to help isolated neighbors in crisis rebuild their daily lives. The Songnim 3·5-dong residents' autonomous council (Chairman Lee Myung-seok) and development council (Chairman Song Ki-dong) recently joined hands in a project to improve the living environments of households at risk of lonely death, taking part in the sharing effort.
 [The Korean Today] Songnim 3·5-dong residents' autonomous council and development council providing daily necessities to households at risk of lonely death © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
The initiative was arranged to help households at risk of lonely death that were identified by the Songnim 3·5-dong community social security council in the course of its ongoing activities to check on residents' well-being and uncover welfare-crisis households. It was carried out as an extension of a public-private cooperation project that detects households in crisis early and connects them to support.
In terms of the scale of support, the residents' autonomous council contributed about 3 million won and the development council about 1 million won toward improving living environments and providing daily necessities. Added to this were voluntary contributions from the neighborhood-head volunteer association, members of the community social security council and local residents, broadening a flow of sharing in which the entire dong takes part.
In particular, the project carried added significance in that each party took on a divided role. The administration uncovered households in crisis and private organizations handled professional improvements to housing environments, while residents' groups took charge of improving living environments and providing daily necessities — a process cited as a model case of public-private cooperative welfare.
Lee Myung-seok, chairman of the Songnim 3·5-dong residents' autonomous council, said, "I believe that, above all, it is important for residents to come together in spirit for the struggling neighbors around us," adding, "We will continue to take the lead in spreading a culture of sharing in the community so that we can be a source of strength for neighbors in need."
Song Ki-dong, chairman of the Songnim 3·5-dong development council, said, "It is a small token of care, but we took part hoping to help struggling neighbors rebuild their daily lives," adding, "We will continue to carry out various sharing activities together with the local community."
Jung Soon-ja, private-sector chair of the Songnim 3·5-dong community social security council, said, "I am deeply grateful that, on the occasion of this project, so many residents and organizations voluntarily came together in spirit," adding, "We will continue to build a tightly knit welfare safety net in which the administration, residents and private organizations work together."
Jo Sang-hye, head of Songnim 3·5-dong, stressed, "This sharing effort is a meaningful case that goes beyond simple donations, one in which the community took part together in helping households in crisis rebuild their daily lives," adding, "We will continue to cooperate with the community to eliminate welfare blind spots and build a warm Jemulpo-gu where no one is left behind." In that it did not stop at uncovering households in crisis but led to a substantive recovery of daily life, the project is expected to serve as an occasion to further tighten the local welfare safety net.
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
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