Housing welfare centers have emerged to realize the housing rights of vulnerable populations and have played a vital role in the housing welfare delivery system. The operating entities for the centers are diverse, including local government, public co...
Housing welfare centers have emerged to realize the housing rights of vulnerable populations and have played a vital role in the housing welfare delivery system. The operating entities for the centers are diverse, including local government, public corporations, and non-profit organizations. Due to the diversity, there have been some issues with the roles and responsibilities of the centers. Previous research has tried to analyze the functions of the centers but mainly focused on the public sector. Therefore, an analysis that compares the public and private sectors is limited.
This study identified and compared the operation of housing welfare centers in Seoul. These non-profit organizations and public corporations run through contracting with the city government. Seoul has the most housing welfare centers in Korea, and these centers are operated by Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH) and non-profit organizations. Thus, an example of the housing welfare centers in Seoul can be utilized to compare housing services provided by non-profit organizations and public corporations. Resource dependence theory, which explains the organization’s continuity and interdependence, has been applied to conduct the study. Based on the theory, this study attempted to identify and compare the external environment of the centers, internal capacity, and institutional impact of private and public housing welfare centers.
This study consists of in-depth interviews with 11 employees working at housing welfare centers in Seoul, along with a literature review on housing welfare centers and the housing welfare delivery system. The result was analyzed using the constant comparison method. The analysis results are summarized as follows.
First, regardless of the operating entities, housing welfare centers in Seoul were more affected by the status of vulnerable populations, the housing environment, and cooperation with their district(gu). However, there were differences in the types of support organizations depending on the entities. Housing welfare centers run by non-profit organizations were connected to more various types of institutions than housing welfare centers run by SH. In connection with other centers in other districts, the centers from non-profit organizations formed an association to share information and donations. The centers from SH were not connected as much except for the case transfer.
Second, there was a difference in internal capacities depending on the non-profit and the public sector. In the case of the centers run by non-profits, it took a considerable amount of work to retain professionals due to lower income and fewer benefits because of the limited budget. For housing welfare centers operated by SH, there was a high demand for the recruitment of sufficient workers since there was a lack of human resources. This difference in workers has led to the disparity in counseling methods for housing-related issues. It was found that non-profit organizations have been better at visiting households and providing in-person counseling than the public sector.
Third, the usage of the budget was different based on the entities. SH-run centers returned the city’s budget because they had difficulty hiring new employees. Whereas the centers run by non-profits have carried out projects and networked with external resources to fulfill the operational costs of the centers. After the contracting out system changed, it was more difficult for these non-profit organizations to sustain the projects. Moreover, the non-profits have tried to express their opinions in policy decision-making, but the government has not taken non-profit concerns on policy decisions. The centers from SH usually follow the local government policies and decisions and do not express much of their opinions since it is the designated corporation by the city.
These results suggest the following implications for the housing welfare delivery system. First, it is necessary to consider the pros and cons of each entity of housing welfare centers and select an entity that is more suitable for regional characteristics rather than pursuing only one specific entity for the operation of the housing welfare centers. In addition, the central government should provide detailed standards for financial support and responsibilities of the housing welfare centers so that the quality of housing welfare services offered does not vary depending on the district and the operating entity.
Second, a cooperation network system for housing welfare should be established through the participation of various stakeholders to prevent the unilateral policy-making process. Both public and private sectors should collaborate to discuss multiple housing issues and find solutions.
Third, improvement of working conditions, recognition of experience in social welfare, and better salary for housing welfare workers should be provided. Service workers are the main factor for housing welfare services, so providing better conditions and training them to be effective and professional housing welfare workers is necessary.
This study has academic significance since it showed the difference between the two operating entities using the resource dependence theory to analyze the case of housing welfare centers operated by contracting out to non-profit versus public. Moreover, it contains the practical significance to solving the issues of housing welfare centers by the operating entities; it is also suggested to consider the characteristics of the region and district which affect the services.