SDGsHelloWork Establishes 'Social Welfare Office' to Rescue Foreigners Falling Through the Cracks, Launching a New Model for Integrated Support of Life, Work, and Residency

The specified non-profit organization SDGsHelloWork (located in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takahisa Kishimoto) established the new 'SDGsHelloWork Social Welfare Office' in June 2026 to provide integrated support for foreigners' 'life, work, and residency.'

■ Why is a 'Social Welfare Office' necessary for a Registered Support Organization?

Registered support organizations are originally responsible for supporting the overall lives of foreigners.

However, on the front lines, cases are increasing where issues related to life, labor, residency, family, and community are complexly intertwined, making it impossible for registered support organizations alone to handle them.

・Even at the Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 stage, consultations regarding daily life are constant, including securing housing, debt, fraud, labor troubles, poverty, and language barriers. Because support destinations are limited, many foreigners fall through the cracks of the system and have nowhere to consult.

・When families join under Specified Skilled Worker No. 2, new challenges related to family and children arise, such as pregnancy, childbirth, infant health checkups, childcare, and education. Allowing family accompaniment dramatically expands the scope of life, increasing the need for welfare support.

■ Specific Cases Occurring in the Gaps of the System

(The following are some of the consultations that SDGsHelloWork has actually faced on the front lines)

・A case where a Nepalese man was forced to pay a large sum of money to obtain a residency status, only to find after arriving in Japan that no workplace existed. He had little money, could not secure housing, and sought help in a mentally distressed state. This is a typical complex problem requiring simultaneous labor, residency, poverty, and mental health care, which cannot be handled by a single domain.

・A case where an Indonesian woman working for a cleaning company suffered constant sexual harassment from her site manager. She considered quitting out of fear but was isolated, unable to consult anyone because quitting would destabilize her residency status. Her living expenses were running out, and her psychological damage was severe. This case required simultaneous labor response, stabilization of residency status, life support, and psychological support.

・A case where a Vietnamese man who had finished his technical intern training and wished to transfer to a Specified Skilled Worker status was forced to leave his training dormitory. Despite having a new job in Tokyo, the change of residency status permit was significantly delayed due to congestion at the Immigration Bureau. Unable to secure housing, the organization urgently provided a temporary resting place in its office space, along with blankets and food. This case involved simultaneous issues of employment, residency, housing, and life, making a welfare approach indispensable.

These consultations cannot be handled by 'labor,' 'residency,' or 'welfare' alone. That is precisely why it is necessary to bring a 'social welfare perspective' into registered support organizations.

■ The Role of the SDGsHelloWork Social Welfare Office

With the establishment of this office, SDGsHelloWork can more reliably perform 'assessments and coordination to connect foreigners facing life challenges to appropriate specialized institutions.'

・Initial consultation and situation assessment for life issues arising from Specified Skilled Worker support (pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, education, housing, family problems, etc.)

・Initial response to consultations about damages such as fraud, exploitation, and harassment, and coordination for ensuring safety

・Coordination connecting foreigners with government, social welfare councils, universities, medical institutions, and community resources

・Strengthening casework through multi-professional collaboration (collaboration using a common language among social workers)

・The role of identifying foreigners falling through the cracks of the system and connecting them to necessary support

*Specialized welfare services (maternal and child health, child welfare, DV support, poverty support, medical care, etc.) will be implemented in collaboration with government, social welfare councils, medical institutions, and specialized agencies. SDGsHelloWork will serve as the 'entrance' and 'bridge' for foreigners to connect to appropriate support.

■ Completion of the 'Trinity Model' for Labor, Residency, and Life Support

Three areas of expertise are now combined:

・Labor (guardianship by BSP Social Insurance and Labor Consultant Corporation)

・Residency status (SDGsJobMatchingService Administrative Scrivener Office)

・Life support (SDGsHelloWork Social Welfare Office)

With the establishment of the Social Welfare Office, a system is now in place to simultaneously support 'working,' 'living,' and 'staying in Japan.' This is a new model for foreigner support, rare even in Japan.

■ SDGsHelloWork Cannot Do It Alone. That's Why We Strengthen 'Collaboration'

Foreigner support cannot be achieved by NPOs alone, by the government alone, or by companies alone.

With the establishment of this Social Welfare Office,

multi-institutional, multi-professional collaboration with government, social welfare councils, universities, medical institutions, local support groups, and companies will become significantly easier.

This is the foundation for fundamentally changing the quality of foreigner support.

■ What SDGsHelloWork Aims For

What we want to create is 'a society where foreigners can choose their future through effort.'

A society where everyone can work, live, and protect their families with dignity, regardless of the coincidence of their birthplace.

A society where foreigners can work, live, and protect their families with peace of mind is directly linked to the sustainability of Japanese society as a whole.

That is why SDGsHelloWork will continue to engage with people not just as 'labor' but as 'human beings,' and continue practices that move the system from the front lines.

607 Token New Heights, 1-5-5 Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Specified Non-Profit Organization SDGsHelloWork

TEL: 090-6752-7830

Mail: info@sdgs-hellowork.com

Website: https://sdgs-hellowork.com/

Official X: https://x.com/HelloworkSdgs