The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Thursday it has increased its budget for single-parent families by 7.6 percent for next year to 544.1 billion won (US$403 million) in the latest move to support vulnerable people.
The ministry said it plans to provide 210,000 won per child to low-income single parents, up 10,000 won from this year. It also plans to dole out 400,000 won to single parents who are under the age of 25 and have a child under the age of 1 and with a household income at or below 63 percent of the median income. It marked an increase from the current 350,000 won.
The number of single parents who will receive child-rearing support is estimated to be 267,000 next year, compared with 235,000 this year.
The ministry said single parents whose children are high school seniors will be eligible to receive 200,000 won in child support expenses until the end of the senior year.
Under the support measures, the government will expand the number of public rental houses to 306 units from the current 266 to ensure low-income single-parent families without their own homes can raise their children in a stable environment and help them to stand on their own feet. Single parents under the age 25 will be able to temporarily live in welfare facilities built for them, irrespective of their income level.
In 2022, the number of single-parent families who received the government support came to 190,421.
Source: Yonhap News Agency