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Busan Metropolitan City to Conduct Intensive Survey on Unreachable Young Adults Preparing for Self-Reliance… Minimizing Social Isolation

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that, starting today (September 1) through October 31, it will conduct a two-month intensive survey to identify young adults preparing for self-reliance who are in blind spots or crisis situations.

*Young adults preparing for self-reliance: those who have left childcare facilities (residential or group homes) or foster care within the past five years.

The City plans to quickly assess the situation of 43 unreachable individuals among this group in order to prevent crises, expand support, and minimize social isolation.

According to a status survey on young adults preparing for self-reliance conducted in July by the City’s self-reliance support agency, there were a total of 653 such young adults in Busan as of the end of June. Among them, 43 individuals (about 7%) were identified as unreachable due to unclear residential status or non-response to contact attempts from institutions.

*Unreachable individuals: those without valid contact information or who fail to respond to three or more attempts at contact (by phone, mail, or email).

First, the City will use the welfare registered mail service to send post-management guidance letters to young adults preparing for self-reliance who are unreachable, and provide post-management services to those who respond.

The welfare registered mail service is a project in which Korea Post and local governments cooperate to identify households at risk in blind spots of the welfare system.

For this initiative, the City promoted an agreement between its self-reliance support agency and the Yeonje Post Office, with the signing ceremony held on August 28.

When the City requests postal delivery to households at risk, postal workers deliver the mail, assess the surrounding environment, and return a checklist. The City then uses the returned information to identify at-risk households and provide welfare services.

For individuals who do not respond to the guidance letters, the City will conduct joint home visits with districts, counties, and self-reliance support agencies to confirm their actual residence, as well as assess whether they are in crisis, socially isolated, or reclusive.

In addition, young adults in crisis identified through post-management monitoring will be designated as beneficiaries of the Integrated Self-Reliance Support Service, which provides tailored case management according to individual needs.

The service covers diverse areas, including housing, healthcare, psychological counseling, daily living, education and training, and quarantine supplies, with annual support of up to 4.8 million KRW per person.

If necessary, depression screening tests will also be conducted to assess mental health, and those in need will be referred to specialized institutions for intensive support.

The City emphasized that this survey will not be a one-time initiative but will be implemented regularly twice a year.

Through the biannual status survey of young adults preparing for self-reliance, the City plans to institutionalize intensive checks on unreachable individuals to minimize welfare blind spots as well as cases of isolation and reclusion.

Park Seol-yeon, Director General of the Women & Family Affairs Bureau, stated, “Young adults preparing for self-reliance, who suddenly enter society after leaving care, are at a high risk of exposure to various dangers due to gaps in the social safety net. Busan Metropolitan City will work closely with relevant institutions to detect social isolation and crisis situations among these young adults early on and strengthen tailored support so that they can settle into society stably.”