Questions/Answers

Incheon City's ‘Volunteer Home-Repair Program for the Vulnerable’ has been established to improve the living environment for those in need. In 2009, when the program was first introduced, Incheon suffered a dramatic decrease in the city center population. It was mainly due to massive inflow of population into new towns in the suburbs, such as the Songdo International City. That resulted in a regional imbalance and in deteriorated housing conditions for the vulnerable people who could not move to the new towns. These vulnerable residents include seniors living alone and the disabled who have economic difficulties. They generally live in older houses that have various problems, like leaky plumbing, mold, badly installed doors and are generally unhygienic. Furthermore, the residents are unable to make repairs on their own. Initially, private volunteer groups tried to do home-repairs funded by donations, however, they could not continue due to a lack of finances and limited workforce. This volunteering was not steady without government’s financial and administrative assistances. Incheon also recognized that the problem could not be solved only by the government. To encourage the private and public fields to work together, the city held meetings where all stakeholders, such as civil servants, experts, companies and citizens, could exchange opinions candidly on how to provide home-repairs for the vulnerable. Eventually, the city came up with a private-public partnership, which would be led by citizens and supported by government. From 2009 until 2017, the program received financial support from local companies and the government, and administrative support from the government, a task force team in the Incheon City Volunteer Service Center and other volunteer groups and residents. The program has repaired 7,270 houses, and has been highly acclaimed as one that has improved the quality of life and given hope to the vulnerable societal group.

The purpose of the program is to improve the living environment using community resources, upgrading quality of lives and spreading a 'sharing culture'. First, improving the quality of life through providing customized services to recipients Those who want to repair their houses can apply at district community centers. Staff from the Incheon City Volunteer Service Center visits the applicant and looks through the house and conducts interviews to determine recipients. They file a formal survey result report after discussions with the recipient to determine the period of repair and methods of construction. The center then contacts volunteers in the relevant field to do construction or renovation. Second, spreading a 'sharing culture' with community resources, including financial contributions by local companies and community-based volunteers Starting with a local company’s contribution of KRW 100 million in 2009, Incheon City has received a total of KRW 1.6 billion in contributions; plus, since 2014, it has received KRW 3 billion from lottery sales profits. The city has invested a total of KRW 4.6 billion. In addition, through diverse publicity efforts, education, program information sessions and meetings, 25 community volunteer centers and 21,810 citizens have participated in the program.

For benefits to be distributed evenly, community centers find recipients, and individuals are allowed to apply. Recipients have been selected through examination of living conditions. Before the repairs, volunteers interview recipients, and after completion, a satisfaction survey is done in order to improve the living environment. Over time, it has narrowed the psychological and societal gap, upgrading quality of life. Incheon City has actively induced participation from citizens and voluntary financial contribution from local companies. That enables community members to solve local problems on their own to restore a sense of community and bring about sustainable development. The City has secured financial contributions from local firms and a lottery fund, and has identified recipients in as fair a manner as possible. The Incheon City Volunteer Service Center is the program provider which visits and interviews recipients, and builds a network with volunteer groups to connect the workforce who are willing and able to do repairs and construction. As such, diverse stake holders from both the private and public sectors have participated and made decisions, generating a synergistic effect. It is a desirable program in that it helps the vulnerable class through partnerships and an inclusive service.

To understand how many residents wanted to have repairs done on their homes, the city conducted a survey in 2009, and the results showed that about 115,000 households needed the program. The cost for even simple repairs required at minimum KRW 2 million. The final total estimate came to an enormous KRW 230 billion. Incheon analyzed similar renovation cases in other parts of Korea. It reaffirmed that citizens’ participation in the program would heighten the level of quality of life and solidify community relations. Through the citizens debate meeting, the city sent the clear message that this would be a private-public partnership, built upon strong citizens’ participation. It set the goal that the dilapidated housing problem would be solved by the community members themselves, through raising monetary resources from the private sector and increasing community-based volunteers. A long term plan, rather than a stop gap measure, was prepared. All relevant parties were included in the consultations and communications. The result is that both private and public sectors worked together to produce a new house regeneration model, which moved forward steadily.

Difficultly in raising monetary resources – encouraging company participation with MOU and securing finances from a lottery fund To secure the budget, cooperation from local firms was badly needed. However, it was difficult to make them understand and join. City officials visited each company to explain the importance of the program. So far, a total 18 of companies, including Hyundai Steel, POSCO, and prominent religious groups have participated in the program. Incheon City also made a request to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the government agency managing the national lottery fund, to support the program. Since 2014, the program has been funded from the lottery fund, which has enabled the program to proceeded steadily. Low interest and participation – inducing volunteer participation through program information session For the program to be successful, residents’ active participation was imperative. The city actively encouraged local construction engineers to volunteer to do the repairs. It has done its best to promote the program to residents and volunteer centers through information session, and distribution of educational and promotional materials. Therefore, with the residents voluntary participation there has been no need for a workforce budget, and the city has successfully moved ahead with the program.

Establishing organization and connecting volunteer service groups The city established a systematic organization in order to increase access from recipients and have expertise and continuity. It used 151 administrative units to conduct a survey of all potential recipients. To prevent the exclusion of uninformed residents, it visited each household, accepted residents recommendations and conducted various surveys. Incheon City has played a coordinating role as well as giving administrative and financial support. In addition, it established a team called ‘Dream’ within the Volunteer Service Center to act as a bridge between program applicants and volunteer groups. Field examinations, individual interviews and satisfaction surveys for cost reduction and customized service The team visited each household to do status examinations and interviews. Based on these, it was able to accurately determine the scale of repairs and maintenance required, and subsequently linked to appropriate volunteer centers that would provide technical support. This has led to a reduction in the budget required. After completion of the repairs, staff visited the site again to thoroughly inspect the results of the construction or renovation and to conduct satisfaction surveys. 97% of respondents were satisfied, which highlights the positive impact the program has had on the community.

Building sustainable private-public partnership for improving housing for the vulnerable Similar volunteer home-repair services have been tried elsewhere in Korea and other countries, however, due to limits in financial assistance and difficulties in securing steady participation of volunteers, many ended as one-time events. Incheon City has taken into account diverse opinions from various stake holders to set the policy direction. It also did a survey on demand all over Incheon. It is now highly regarded as a successful private-public partnership program that benefits all members of community. It has increased sustainability, decreased inequality, created a safe living environment and, most importantly, a 'sharing culture'. Improving housing for the vulnerable class from the viewpoint of demand side Anyone in the vulnerable class can apply for the service at 151 different administrative units. A team from the Volunteer Service Center visits each applicant and examines the status of the house and listens to opinions to set the scale of repair. Then the team contacts appropriate volunteer groups to provide the repair services. After completion, it inspects the results and does a satisfaction survey to get feed-back to determine if all recipients are satisfied.

The program has some differences from existing volunteer house improvement services in Korea and other countries. First, it benefits many people by obtaining diverse resources and workforce. Incheon City has obtained stable resources by receiving contributions from local firms and religious organizations and the national lottery fund. And it has created a network of volunteer engineers in the community, connecting them to recipients, saving on the workforce budget. The materials needed for the program have been selected through a two-week market survey, and undergone quality inspections to maintain a specific level required for high quality houses. The program was designed to benefit as many recipients as possible with a restricted budget. Second, Increased effectiveness and systemization by clearly setting the roles of each one involved Incheon City has been responsible for securing financial resources and providing administrative assistance. 151 administrative units have surveyed recipients in order to not leave out any eligible person. The Incheon City Volunteer Service Center has conducted on-site examinations and interviewed house residents to determine the scale of the repairs, and connected volunteer engineers and recipients. Through financial contributions and the participation of supporting engineers, the community is solving local problems by itself.

Financial resources – easing financial burden through contribution from local firms and national lottery sales profit Incheon City has had local firms invest in the program. From 2008 until 2017, it raised KRW 1.6 billion. Since 2014, it has received KRW 3 billion from lottery sales profit. So far, KRW 4.6 billion has been raised for the implementation of the program. Workforce resources Incheon City has held diverse promotion and information sessions to encourage engineers needed for the program. The program has helped residents feel a sense of belonging as a member of the community as residents have come to recognize problems in the community and participated in the activities to fix them. Material resources and others The team responsible for the program has done on-site inspections to determine the amount of materials needed, and purchased said materials through partner firms. After completion, it has made visits to each repaired house to check the results and the materials used, and to pay the costs to partner firms. It has managed quality in order to provide satisfactory services, and saved on workforce costs and material purchase costs.

Yes

Transferability domestically and internationally In 2012, Incheon City received KRW 100 billion from the central government as it was designated as a specialized regional program. The program was the subject of benchmarking for Seoul City in planning a slum remodeling program in 2012. In 2017 alone, local media reported on it 9 times, and on May 20, 2017 SBS, a national television and radio network company, lauded the program as a successful house improvement. Financial resource – easing financial burden by securing resources from local firms and lottery fund While pursuing the house improvement program for the vulnerable class, the city has received KRW 1.6 billion from local firms. And it has received KRW 3 billion from a national lottery fund. To date, it has raised KRW 4.6 billion for the program. Human resource aspect – direct participation of local residents Incheon City has held diverse promotional and informational sessions to encourage engineers and volunteer service groups to participate in the program. The program has helped residents feel a sense of belonging as members of the community, coming to recognize problems in their own communities and participating in the activities to fix them.

Societal aspect They reason why Incheon City has implemented this program since 2009 is because it has reflected on the diverse opinions from local societal groups to set the policy direction. It also has recognized that living environment improvement issues are a community problem, not an individual problem. The city has dealt with it as a major issue, and conducted active promotion to make it a public issue. The participation of local residents in solving local problems is the most important foundation in increasing sustainability and restoring community solidarity. Economic aspect – securing local logistics center, etc Incheon City has surveyed the market strictly in order to purchase materials needed for the program. Then it has designated local firms to help stimulate the local economy and ensure high quality materials are used for the house repairs. It has conducted the program using a volunteer system. This has saved workforce costs, and the saved costs have been reinvested, which has created a virtuous cycle. Environmental aspect Incheon City has worked hard to make a community where community members support the underprivileged to live in a safe and clean environment. Recipients introduced others in need of help for them to be benefit from the program, which allows them to become a sound member of community.

The program has been continuing for 9 years, since 2009, and the reasons listed below illustrate its impact on other programs. First, excellence in planning The program aims to improve the quality of life for the underprivileged by improving living environment with the participation of volunteers. Most public services have been implemented solely by the public agencies. The program is different since community members have joined forces to solve local problems to create a sustainable city and good living conditions. This shift in policy has enabled the successful implementation of the program. Second, concrete program planning Comparing to the initial stage of the implementation, now it has stable funding with a steady inflow of contributions from local companies and a national lottery fund. Then opinions of recipients are reflected in the implementation and recommendations from diverse stake holders have also accepted. And the results of the post implementation monitoring have also been considered to systematically plan and improve the program. Third, systemized operation and management It has defined the roles of public institutions (Incheon City, districts and lower administrative units) to ensure systemic operation. The private sectors (such as Incheon City Volunteer Centers, local companies and volunteer centers) have also been systematically connected to provide financial and human assistance efficiently. In doing so, the program has continuity and systemic excellence. In addition, the city has constantly promoted the program through diverse medium like TV, local newspapers and the city homepage. Every year, it has held information sessions and result briefing sessions with volunteer groups attending to accept opinions from those involved. The city has made efforts in reviewing the feed-back and reflecting opinions.

Yes

The central government has conducted performance evaluations for all the programs using the lottery fund. Our program has used the lottery fund since 2014, so the government has evaluated its results every year. The officials responsible for the program submit program performance reports, and a 6-member evaluation panel composed of external experts evaluates the program based on the report. And then they do face-to-face interviews and on-the-spot inspections to check what has been reported. Based on this, they make an interim report. The interim report will be presented to the person responsible and there will be a process of formal objection and adjustment before the evaluation panel produces their final results.

The results of the 2016 evaluation show that the program has helped increase the level of welfare for the underprivileged. It lauded the program for its systematic progress and monitoring, customized service, cooperation with volunteer service groups and voluntary participation of experts. It also praised the program for its private-public partnership involving a variety of parties. Their evaluation is summed up as follows: 1. The program has created an Incheon specific welfare model. Volunteers share their talents and expertise in cooperation with the city government, fostering a ‘sharing culture’. 2. The program has focused on the underprivileged, including basic livelihood security recipients, the disabled and senior citizens living alone. It has made a difference in their lives and improved welfare by improving housing conditions. They accessed effects as below. The program has been run with volunteers, like ordinary citizens, volunteer centers and the Incheon Probation Office. It has spread a caring and sharing culture and creates a welfare system in which community members are participating. In terms of effectiveness, the program gained points between 88.4 and 88.8 for each evaluation item. The panel concluded that it has positive impact on the overall housing conditions for those in need.

The indices of the government evaluation in 2016 were ① plan & preparation ② implementation & management ③ results & feed-back. First, plan and preparation Evaluate the clarity and concreteness (contributions to increase welfare for the low income vulnerable class), feasibility and appropriateness of the target Second, implementation & management Evaluate the programs progress and monitoring system, and if use of budget was efficient and reasonable Third, results & feed-back Evaluate the effectiveness of the program, appropriateness of the feed-back system, if the target level was achieved, and impact of PR was effective Incheon City has worked hard to increase the effectiveness of the program by identifying problems through evaluations, and proposing ways to fix them. Through the 2016 evaluation, the city has recognized that it needs to explore ways to increase the number of recipients and recruit new volunteers through enhanced publicity. The city included them in the 2017 plan and did increase recipients and the number of new volunteers.

Citizens lead from plan to implementation 151 administrative units did a survey of potential recipients and conducted the selection process. A team from the Volunteer Service Center visits each applicant and examines the status of the house and listens to residents opinions in order to set the scale of the repairs. In particular, the alley renovation program has transformed old and crime-prone alleys in the residential area into safe and beautiful ones by painting murals on the fences and planting flower beds around houses. By holding information sessions for residents and inducing citizens’ direct participation, encouraging citizens to solve community problems by themselves, the program has gained a favorable reputation. Strong Implementation through private-public cooperation The city has established a cooperative system with local firms, religious groups and volunteer service groups for mobilizing finances and volunteers. It also offers administrative assistance.The Incheon City Volunteer Service Center has worked together with recipients and volunteer groups. Residents’ participation ensured the program was implemented effectively, which allowed it to be successful. Check progress and feed-back and reflect residents’ proposals Incheon City, along with groups of experts, has been monitoring the program constantly. The scope of the program was initially set by a committee of expert judges composed of professors and architects. The city has conducted a satisfaction survey to fix problems in implementation of the program. Volunteer groups participating in the program have meetings. There have been result evaluation briefing meetings, and residents' proposals have been accepted after review. These efforts have consistently attracted interest and participation of residents, laying the foundation for the success of the program.

Private-Public Cooperation The program reaffirmed that housing improvements will become sustainable with close residents-public cooperation. The city has continuously complimented and upgraded the program through feed-back from experts and residents, which has differentiated it from similar programs and increased continuity of the program and participation by residents. The satisfaction survey given to 21,810 participants and recipients showed a 98% satisfaction rate, which highlights its excellence and effectiveness. The 2017 survey showed that 70% of respondents answered satisfied, 28% very satisfied and 2% dissatisfied. Sustainable management, evaluation and feed-back Every year, the program is being assessed by the Korea Lottery Commission about the process and results. The Commission has also consulted Incheon City about how it should be improved. Based on this, Incheon City has done its best in making improvements to provide the best services to its citizens. Along with this effort, it has actively solicited opinions from volunteer groups and residents in each process of the service. This is done not only to find methods for improvement, but also to enhance sustainability, and to maintain the rate of participation, which is vital to the private-public program.