Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hun) revealed that it will operate street counseling teams to eliminate the blind spots of homelessness management.

The aim of the street counseling teams is to discover and support the homeless in crisis as well as their safety and self-reliance. This is expected to prevent incidents such as the “Bangbae-dong mother and child tragedy” that happened in December 2020 and increase the number of workers in charge of homeless management for systematic support, which used to be handled by a single worker.

There are over ten homeless in Gangdong-gu as of the end of 2020, and the gu operates a homeless facility called “Gangdong House of Hope (21, Gucheonmyeon-ro 28-gil).” A pair of workers are formed as a street counseling team, and their duties are to patrol day and night the regions where the homeless usually gather and provide counseling and support services. The regions they will be patrolling include subway stations such as Cheonho Station, Amsa Station, and Gangdong Station as well as parks and villages. They will look for the homeless to encourage them to enter homeless facilities or emergency shelters. Those with health conditions will also be provided medical treatment.

In the event the counseling teams find an emergency situation among the homeless, they are trained to call 119, transport them to the hospital, and take appropriate actions. For those who refuse to enter a facility, they will be provided with relief goods including disposable masks, sleeping bed, and sanitary kit (towel, toothbrush, socks, etc.), to prevent safety accidents.

Through the street counseling services, the homeless people will be sent to mental health welfare centers, welfare facilities for people with disabilities, dementia support center, etc. depending on their situations. Those in crisis will be immediately provided with emergency welfare to give them opportunities to function properly as a member of society.

“We hope the street counseling teams effectively convey hope to the homeless in the streets for them to gain self-reliance. We will keep striving for the safety and independence of the homeless,” Gangdong-gu Mayor Lee Jung-hun said.