[Deep Dive] Ansan City Opens 'Our Neighborhood Daon Convenience Store': Preventing Isolation of Single Households

Emergence of a New Paradigm to Eliminate Welfare Blind Spots

On August 21, 2026, Ansan City officially opened 'Our Neighborhood Daon Convenience Store', a customized community space aimed at preventing social isolation and lonely deaths among single-person households. As the proportion of single households rapidly increases in modern society, their emotional isolation and economic poverty have emerged as critical social issues. The existing welfare system is primarily based on an 'application-first' approach, where individuals must visit government offices and fill out paperwork. This often leads to blind spots due to psychological intimidation or a lack of welfare information. Ansan City's new project is a proactive and innovative welfare model designed to overcome these limitations and minimize the psychological stigma associated with receiving welfare benefits. Its most prominent feature is adopting the concept of a convenience store, allowing residents to access it naturally in their daily lives.

A Tailored Healing Space Lowering Psychological Barriers

Spanning approximately 145 square meters, this community space is meticulously planned to break away completely from the rigid and bureaucratic atmosphere of traditional public institutions, allowing anyone to visit without hesitation and enjoy comfortable rest and communication. The key features and operational methods of the facility are as follows:

• Healing and Relaxation Lounge: An open lounge equipped with warm lighting, comfortable sofas, and massage chairs has been created so that visitors can feel at ease. It goes beyond just a place to stay, providing an environment where natural conversations with neighbors can take place.
• Unconditional Primary Survival Safety Net: The 'Just Dream' corner is operated to provide essential items such as groceries (ramen, rice, side dishes, etc.) and toilet paper to at-risk households unconditionally. This serves as a primary safety net that offers practical help to those facing urgent economic crises.

Non-Face-to-Face Customized Information System: For those who feel burdened or reluctant to undergo face-to-face counseling, the latest digital kiosks have been introduced. Users can search for customized welfare information and apply for various support programs non-face-to-face through the kiosk without having to meet directly with counseling staff, drastically lowering psychological entry barriers.

A Hub for Restoring Sustainable Social Networks

Ansan City has a high concentration of national industrial complexes, resulting in a relatively high proportion of single-person households ranging from young adults to middle-aged individuals. Because many households experience emotional disconnection coupled with economic instability, the role of 'Our Neighborhood Daon Convenience Store' is extremely important. The ultimate goal of this space does not stop at simple one-off material support or short-term relief. The focus is on encouraging citizens in need to visit this place like a daily shelter, and naturally inducing them to participate in small-scale community programs or psychological counseling operated within the convenience store.

Through this process, visitors will resume communication with disconnected neighbors and restore sustainable social networks. Through this hub space, administrative authorities can detect at-risk households hidden within the local community early on and connect them to in-depth, customized welfare services suitable for their situations. It is highly anticipated that 'Our Neighborhood Daon Convenience Store', which newly opened on August 21, 2026, will firmly establish itself as a true 'Ansan-style isolation prevention safety net' amidst the warm attention of the local community.