Gyeonggi Province is recruiting 10,000 “Gyeonggi Hope Keepers” to report neighbors who fall in welfare blind spots at any point up to the end of the year.

Gyeonggi Hope Keepers identify Gyeonggi residents who fall in welfare blind spots and report their situations to the Emergency Welfare Hotline (010-4419-7722), the Emergency Welfare Call Center (120-0), Gyeonggibok G-Talk (KakaoTalk channel), or the Emergency Welfare Call Center website (gg.go.kr/welfarehotline).

Unlike neighborhood-based “volunteer social workers” – such as village heads who have frequent contact with local residents – Hope Keepers are independently operated by Gyeonggi Province to focus on establishing close public-private partnerships with welfare organizations, public institutions, welfare reporters, and livelihood industry workers. Ordinary Gyeonggi residents can also participate. Gyeonggi Province plans to increase the number of Gyeonggi Hope Keepers from 10,000 this year to 50,000 by 2025.

The Hope Keepers are appointed by Gyeonggi Province for a two-year term with no limit on consecutive terms and receive online training to assist them in the performance of their work.

Gyeonggi Province plans to provide livelihood, housing, and medical expense support to disadvantaged neighbors reported by the Hope Keepers through the Emergency Welfare Crisis Counseling Hotline if they fall in blind spots under existing welfare systems – including basic welfare, secondary welfare, and emergency welfare – and will connect them with privately sponsored welfare services as needed to resolve their situations even if they do not receive welfare benefits.

Those interested in become Gyeonggi Hope Keepers can apply online through Gyeonggi Civil Service 24 (gg24.gg.go.kr ), by e-mail (kiwook2001@gg.go.kr ), by post (Gyeonggi Welfare Project Division, 30 Docheong-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do), or in person.

For more information, please contact the Hope Welfare Team of the Gyeonggi Province Welfare Project Division.

“Gyeonggi Province operates a support system for identifying welfare blind spots through cooperation with related organizations and groups, but public organizations alone have limitations, so we need the interest and cooperation of neighbors. We encourage the public to actively participate in ‘Gyeonggi Hope Keepers,’ which reports neighbors in crisis to the Gyeonggi Emergency Welfare Crisis Counseling Hotline,” said Gyeonggi Province Welfare Bureau Director General Kim Neung-sik.