As of the latest update, there are 251 regional self‑help centers nationwide, including 33 in Gyeonggi Province, all designated under Article 16 of the National Basic Living Security Act to provide intensive self‑reliance services for low‑income households such as education to boost self‑help motivation, job‑training, employment and start‑up counseling, technical and managerial support for self‑employment, assistance in establishing and operating self‑help enterprises, and social‑service vouchers for disabled persons, mothers, newborns and elder‑care; centers operate under various legal forms—including social cooperatives, religious corporations, municipal agencies and foundations—and are run by local governments or NGOs, and organizations seeking to operate a center must submit a regional self‑help center designation application together with the required documents to the city‑county mayor, have it forwarded to the provincial governor, and ultimately obtain approval from the Minister of Health and Welfare, with applications possible via the online civil‑service portal or through the local welfare office, after which designated centers receive financial subsidies, staff‑training support, program‑development assistance from the Ministry and the regional self‑help center network, and can collaborate with the regional self‑help center training institute for specialized courses.