Relief and Welfare

　　With the district population exceeding 200,000, the problems and demands related to people also increases accordingly. Additionally, issues related to democracy and personal rights now pervade Taiwanese society. Although governments of different levels are confronted by financial difficulties, they still do their utmost to promote social welfare related policies. Consequently, the welfare and relief services of Yong Kang District improve accordingly.

　　Currently, the Yong Kang District has 15,625 seniors aged 65 or above, approximately 11,200 people with physical/mental disabilities, nearly 40,000 unemployed people under Type 6 health insurance, and about 2,000 applicants for single parent child support. These numbers consistently show that the Yong Kang District shoulders the responsibility for promoting and facilitating the welfare policies of the central and city governments.

　　Aside from working with the Tainan City Government in handling living stipend assistance for low-income families, mid-to-low income elders, single parent families, and people with mid-to-low level disabilities, the district also provides various welfare and relief for seniors, people with physical/mental disabilities, women, and children. Moreover, the district also accepts applications for national pension (for insured persons whose income fails to reach certain standards) in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Insurance.

Establishment of a Volunteer Team to Care for Lonely Seniors

　　The district government understands the difficulties of seniors who live on their own. Without the care of family members and often lacking interaction with neighbors, their illness and sufferings are often unnoticed and ignored. It is truly disheartening when one hears the news of seniors who pass away in loneliness days before neighbors notice the death.  In view of such tragedies, the district government established the Yong Kang Volunteer Team on October 1st, 1998, with the main goal of providing care and service to the seniors who live alone in this district. Regular phone calls are made to keep in-touch, and monthly visits are made to check on their wellness. Based on their needs, the district government also provides assistance in medical care and the maintenance of their living environment. It is our hope that these lonely seniors, even though having no family members, can still feel the care and warmth of people in society.

Community Development Association and CommunityCareCenter

　　In recent years, the Ministry of the Interior has been working for the promotion and establishment of community development association. The purpose is to encourage local residents to spontaneously participate in the establishment of community network, and elder- and community-care services, through which the idea of a community welfare network can be realized. Among the 39 villages in the Yong Kang District, 36 have already established and operated their own community development association for years. In order to encourage communities and villages to promote community care services, the then Tainan County Government began to subsidize those communities and villages that had established their own community care center in 2002, so that they can devote themselves to community care for the low-income families, people with physical/mental disabilities, and seniors. Moreover, all local communities were encouraged to organize volunteer teams, thereby providing community residents the opportunity to participate in community matters and devote themselves to community services. By now, the Yong Kang District has 20 community care centers. In society nowadays, we actively care for and serve the community where we live. We shall no longer have a passive attitude and always ask “What can the government do for us?” Instead, it is time for us to step forward and ask, “What can we do for the community?”

Facilitation and Setup of the All-Purpose Counter

　　In view of the complicated duties and increasing number of enquiries, the district government has begun to integrate tasks of various social departments to form an all-purpose counter (single service desk) to provide better service for the people and enhance administrative efficiency in 2003.

The various tasks of the Social Affairs Department are integrated into two major categories: “Type 5 & 6 Health Insurance” and “Welfare and Relief”. In this way, when residents visit the district hall, they would not have to go to different representatives for different questions. The old segregated system was time-consuming and problems usually remained unsolved. The single counter will provide a one-stop solution for all questions. The representative will help to locate the best strategy to complete the application, clarify the rights and benefits to the people, and explain the services provided by the government.