There wasn’t a trace of embarrassment in the speech or expression of Mr. Ji (62), a homeless person who had just received treatment at the “Stand Up Again Seoul Station Clinic” (director: Anglican priest Yeo Jae-hun), in Dongja-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of March 14. He had been coming to the center for several days due to indigestion and heartburn. The clinic is an official medical establishment treating only homeless persons such as Mr. Ji, and Seoul City has entrusted the Anglican Church of Korea with its operation.
Recently when Mr. Ji underwent a blood test at the clinic, there were signs of possible liver damage, so he presently is going to Seoul Medical Center for treatment. Homeless persons without family members to care for them can come to the clinic for health exams that detect illness at an early stage. It thus has the character of “homeless persons’ first-line medical center.”
An average 100 homeless persons visit the clinic daily. Though it is located directly in front of Seoul Station’s exit 13, many homeless persons still do not know about it. Public health doctor Choi Hyeon-min said, “Some people tolerate constipation and develop intestinal polyps, and someone never took his shoes off, leading to foot rot and amputation…Many do not come, saying “Sorry,” but if they want to check for possible existence of illness and receive treatment, it’s most important to visit the clinic as a first step.”
Five minutes’ walk from the clinic is the Stand Up Again General Support Center. The Anglican Church has been entrusted with its operation, and it also cares for many homeless persons. On this day, as usual, it was filled with people playing Baduk, chatting or resting. Three floors are used as bedrooms, with more than 150 persons per day requesting to sleep there. Eating and sleeping at the center, they can receive information at any time toward becoming self-reliant in work and housing.
Last year, among the 1,045 homeless persons who got temporary housing support from Seoul City for periods of 1~6 months, 861 (82.3%) were self-reliant even after the housing support had ended. And the rate of “escape from homelessness” among persons who had lived at the Stand Up Again Support Center reached 81.8%. That is, 471 out of 576 no longer lived a homeless life. What was the secret? A center source explained that when homeless persons were treated with real concern, like family, they underwent change. Center staff accompanied them to the movie theater and went on arboretum walks with them. They helped them restore their citizen registration and assisted them with job-seeking activities. Team chief Kim Jeong-yong (40) said, “The living environment surrounding the homeless can be problematic, but they certainly are not lacking in the will to live.”
There are crosses hanging in the center and the clinic, but no direct evangelizing ever takes place. Even so, one or two homeless persons began asking Fr. Yeo Jae-hun (top photo) to hold worship services. Yeo now serves the Eucharist to a group of 20 some persons in a small space near the center, and has opened a humanities classroom there. “Jesus was not hoping for compensation when he healed sickness and shared food,” he said. “I think the diligent operation of the center is an act of faith that exerts a spiritual influence on them.”
Fr. Yeo says those who come to the center are all “miracles waiting to happen.” “Many of them are struggling to live properly,” he said. “Homeless persons need friends who demonstrate concern for them, like the ones who made a hole in the roof and lowered their paralyzed friend down to be healed by Jesus.”
Reporter DongWoo Kim (love@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Photo by senior reporter Kang Min Seok
Original Article in Korean:
[현장] 노숙인 자립률 82%… 가족 같은 관심이 ‘자활 기적’ 낳았다: 성공회 위탁 운영 ‘다시서기지원센터’ 가보니
