Questions/Answers

"Ondol" is a Chinese character literally meaning "baked stones." It refers to a traditional Korean sub-floor heating system in which stones were "baked" to heat the floor, which in turn, heats the room. Although this traditional method has all but disappeared, to Koreans, the word evokes a feeling of warmth. Previous and existing government-sponsored assistance programs, often because of their rigid legal and institutional frameworks, have failed to meet the needs of the disadvantaged, because their initiatives become mired in bureaucracy. To remedy such shortcomings, the Hope Ondol Project aims to shift the current bureaucracy-centric paradigm to building a public-private network and a “regional welfare community” through voluntary participation across the spectrum of stakeholders such as grassroots civic organizations, volunteer groups, businesses, and the general public. Hope Ondol Project invites civil organizations in the private sector to provide welfare services to people living in poverty. Through this approach, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) intends to deliver inclusive and equitable services to all by expanding its welfare services all who are in need. Significant numbers of disadvantaged people urgently need help, but are somehow ineligible for institutional support. They have fallen through the cracks of current welfare programs.

The major objective of the Hope Ondol Project is to expand the present exclusively government-run welfare system to include those who were forgotten in the existing scheme, which has failed to adequately meet public need. SMG attempts to accomplish this goal by involving citizen groups and by raising funds from general public donations. Thus, it is an initiative to deliver inclusive and equitable welfare services to the disadvantaged.

Hope Ondol Project endeavors to guarantee that none are excluded from basic services. This project is in line with reducing inequalities (SDG 10). SMG’s initiative, through the help of volunteers and corporate donations to the poor, has visited locations where financially vulnerable people live, such as dosshouses, to distribute rice, ramen, gloves, blankets, and other basics, to low-income families, seniors living alone, and the homeless. The Hope Ondol Project has provided emergency assistance to an average of 20,000 households annually.

The main theme of benefit of Hope Ondol Project is to eliminate blind spots in the current welfare system. The Hope Ondol Project has made it possible to reach out to underprivileged people who have somehow fallen through the cracks of welfare programs despite their urgent need of assistance. Above all, SMG has raised Hope Ondol regional emergency funds from the general public and businesses to provide those who have fallen into poverty due to unexpected crises but are ineligible for assistance because they do not meet the legal criteria. In doing so, SMG has reinforced the social safety net by organizing volunteer aid groups such as the Hope Neighbors, consisting of community members such as owners of grocery stores, beauty shops, homemade food shops, and other small businesses, known as “Hope Shops”. Currently, there are over 6,200 members of Hope Neighbors and 3,800 members of Hope Shops in Seoul. This public-private partnership has not only expanded current welfare services, but encouraged community participation for the betterment of the disadvantaged.

Under the previous welfare delivery system, public and private sectors were clearly separated from each other and did not interact. With the launch of the Hope Ondol Project, SMG systematically works in partnership with various private organizations. The Hope Ondol Project is led, planned, and executed by the private sector. Representatives of the private sector are involved in the process of forming the Citizens Planning Committee and making decisions regarding the project. SMG has also supported the Citizens Planning Committee in building a cooperative consortium with private institutions, allowing individual institutions to build trust by working together.

serious threats faced by Seoul today. As a former civil activist, Mayor Park Won-Soon was determined to shape Seoul into a place where once again people live in harmony, and communities are filled with vitality. He suggested the launch of the Hope Ondol Project based on his vision of Seoul as a community where citizens voluntarily reach out and offer a helping hand to people who have fallen through the cracks of the system.

The Hope Ondol Project can serve as a successful model for developing nations of welfare based on public-private cooperation. Often, insufficient public sector resources to implement welfare provision policies. Learning from the Hope Ondol Project, the public-private partnerships and the use of private resources could be benchmarked by developing countries. It has already been duplicatrd in local governments across Korea, winning the grand prize at the first Regional Welfare Awards held by The Hankyoreh, a Korea-based daily newspaper.

SMG set up the Hope Welfare Assistance Department to serve as a liaison between the Hope Ondol Project and the private sector. A total of 333 civil servants have joined the Hope Welfare Support Corps that have been stationed in Seoul’s 25 local district Gu offices. In addition, 6,230 Hope Neighbors volunteer are actively working to identify people in need and to lend helping hands in partnership with welfare facilities. SMG spent KRW 103 billion in 2017 for the project and continues to supply daily necessities to underprivileged families under the sponsorship of 117 private businesses and organizations.

The prime purpose of launching the Hope Ondol Project was to ensure its sustainability through partnerships with private organizations and citizens. The Hope Ondol Project uses various private resources provided through a range of programs. This way, the public sector is assured that this project will continue using this diverse portfolio. These programs include: the Food Market and Food Bank programs, delivering donated food to the needy; Hope Neighbors, which involves private citizens identifying those suffering from hunger and exposure. Hope Neighbors lends them a helping hand by providing them with food, installing wall coverings, laying flooring, and carrying out other home improvement projects, including repair and replacement of heating systems for low-income families in partnership with heating system suppliers and wholesalers.

Yes

The Hope Ondol Project has been assessed by the evaluation committee, consisting of Citizens Planning Committee members, which assigns a score for each report submitted by the district office in accordance with the evaluation criteria. The evaluation is based on scores given by the evaluation committee. The committee is affiliated with local district Gu offices, grassroots civic organizations, and Hope Neighbors.

The evaluation was conducted in six categories: 1. Identification and support of underprivileged citizens (Formulation and execution of detailed, district-level plans for the Hope Ondol Project as a result of the identification and provision of support for underprivileged citizens), 2. Evaluation of individual projects from the Hope Ondol Project and related activities, 3. Identification and collection of private resources, 4. Public participation (Press coverage and promotion of the Hope Ondol Project, 5. Production of PR materials for the Hope Ondol Project, 6. Degree of Community initiative and Administrative support.

The evaluation proves that the public-private welfare network has drawn attention to blind spots in the welfare system and has improved the system both quantitatively and qualitatively. For example, in 2011 alone, SMG provided assistance to a total of 291,325 underprivileged people, including some 97,000 in the low-income bracket. Previously they had not received benefits from public safety nets, to assist them in paying for daily necessities, medical treatment, heating, and rent. As a result, 2011 was the first year on record in which no homeless person was reported to have frozen to death in Seoul.

The Hope Ondol Project is entirely based on public-private partnership and public participation in the entire process, from policy formulation to execution and evaluation. The Citizens Planning Committee, consisting of 24 professors and experts in diverse fields, including members of NPOs, the press, and the Seoul Metropolitan Council, is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects. SMG has listened to diverse voices from the field through joint workshops for the Citizens Planning Committee and other organizations participating in the Hope Ondol Project. They endeavor to consolidate partnerships based on cooperation among Hope Neighbors, welfare institutions, and organizations. It also holds press interviews and evaluation workshops where ideas and opinions proposed by the members of the Citizens Planning Committee are reflected in the process. Public-private cooperative networks are formed at the Gu district level as well. Serving as liaisons between the public and private sectors, 122 private social welfare institutions, along with 3,883 civic groups, have participated in the Hope Ondol Project.

Above all, the Hope Ondol Project has taught us that welfare should be based not on regulations and institutions, but on public needs. By striving to go beyond legal constraints to satisfy the needs of the underprivileged, we have learned that working with the private sector was critical. This project successfully filled the gap in the current system through this public-private partnership. Driven by the success of the Hope Ondol Project, SMG, in collaboration with the private sector, will continue strengthening its social safety net. SMG will continue encouraging private organizations and citizens to actively participate in its welfare programs.