JJokbahng (“sliced room”) dwellers and homeless persons are referred to legally as “the homeless, etc.”, as specified in the Act on Support for Welfare and Self-Reliance of the Homeless.” The Act defines homeless persons as people who have “lived without stable housing for a considerable period of time” (street homeless persons), “used or lived in a facility for the homeless for a considerable period of time” (sheltered homeless persons) or “lived for a considerable period of time in a place substantially unfit for habitation” (jjokbahng dwellers).
Social welfare services for homeless persons, delivered mostly at homeless facilities, have as their legal basis the Act on Support for Welfare and Self-Reliance of the Homeless Welfare. Facilities that are intended for homeless persons are of two types. Homeless residential facilities provide a long-term shelter. They also provide services that are intended to assist homeless persons for their self-support, rehabilitation, and long-term care. Drop-in facilities include comprehensive support centers, temporary protection facilities, and jjokbahng counselling centers.
This study examines the living conditions of homeless persons, who in the current Covid situations, in particular, are among the most vulnerable and on whom the impact of the pandemic is likely to fall especially heavily, and draws implications as to what to do to improve policies on those groups. As covid-19 persists, the death toll surges and the economic damage piles up. It has repeatedly been pointed out that the impact of the pandemic has unevenly affected different social groups. Homeless persons and jjokbahng dwellers usually live in housing conditions that are extremely poor, have in many cases underlying health conditions and are often ailed by economic problems. They make up groups that are at especial risk in a situation of infectious disease, as most of them live in places that are cramped and insanitary where it is difficult to adhere to quarantine rules.