– I feel trapped in a council housing. I am trapped in a life situation. I am trapped to be poor my whole life because I have to pay to Oslo municipality, says Rama Jama. The 38-year-old lives in municipal housing at Torshov in Oslo. The money she pays in rent, she would rather use to pay off her mortgage. She cannot get a loan from a normal bank, but Husbanken offers something they call a start-up loan. It is normally the only opportunity to enter the housing market for families with low wages and no money in the bank. Rama is in the target group. But she can’t get a loan here either. She tells her story because she believes there is something wrong with the system when a single mother or father with a low income and many children do not get a start-up loan. – I want the scheme for start-up loans to be changed. That it is adapted to the needs of the target group. Fulfilled dreams A lot has happened in Rama’s life since she came to Norway as a 15-year-old, a refugee from Somalia and illiterate. In order to scout for income, Rama Jama travels around and gives lectures about his life, among other things. Photo: Bård Nafstad / NRKTo scout for income, Rama Jama travels around and gives lectures about his life. Photo: Bård Nafstad / news She got married. Had five children. But all the time she had two dreams. Get a job. Finish school. – To adapt to the country I live in, to be part of the society I live in and of course to be a good role model for my children, and not least to reach out like a normal family. When the fifth child was born, Rama wanted a different direction in his life. She broke off the marriage. – I am very happy that perhaps for the first time I prioritized myself, and not least my own children. Since then, she has completed primary and secondary school, and today works 100 per cent at NAV. Dream of own home The rent has multiplied after the 38-year-old moved into municipal housing. Rama currently pays over NOK 17,000 a month. She feels that she has worked hard to get where she is today. – I can contribute to the wonderful country that has supported me since I came here. In recent years, a new dream has emerged; To buy an apartment that becomes more and more hers as she pays. – And I want my children to understand that municipal housing is a short-term solution. Rama Jama believes there is something wrong with the system when a single mother or father, with a low income and many children struggle to get a start-up loan. Photo: Bård Nafstad / NRKRama Jama believes there is something wrong with the system when a single mother or father, with low income and many children struggle to get a start-up loan. Photo: Bård Nafstad / news Rejection of start-up loan When Rama heard about the start-up loan, she became optimistic. – Then I was so ready that I threw myself around and went to the screening. Oriented myself in the housing market. But she was refused. The municipality thought the mother of five did not have enough money to pay the loan, even though she pays over 17,000 in rent today. – I was very, very disappointed. She called the housing office to investigate further. Here she learned that part of the problem was that she had so many children. “Eventually when the two oldest move out, it may be possible that you have the ability to get a start-up loan, she was told.” To find out whether a family can get a start-up loan, the municipalities look at, among other things, what it will cost the family to live. They use the rates from the Consumer Research Institute SIFO. The housing office in Sagene district cannot be interviewed or comment on individual cases. Section leader Ide-Christine Hultquist shows in an e-mail to Husbanken’s rules for start-up loans and answers generally. – Naturally, it costs more to live for families with more children than families without children. The family can therefore better afford to service mortgages when the children move out if the income remains the same. – Expensive to have bad advice news’s economic commentator, Cecilie Langum Becker, thinks it is easy to understand that Rama gets frustrated with the situation. Cecilie Langum Becker is an economic commentator at news. Photo: Ole Kaland / news – This is a good example that it is expensive to have bad advice, says Cecilie Langum Becker. She believes that Rama has shown his ability to pay through the rent. – So here you would think that you could have been a little more flexible. Becker believes that if Rama had received a loan, she would have had the opportunity to own her own home, which has been a political goal for many decades. – This only reinforces the distinction between those who get into the housing market and those who are outside. Rama’s calculation According to the municipality, a suitable home for Rama and the children will cost around NOK 3,600,000 in Oslo. If she borrows this at the current interest rate in the Housing Bank and has a maximum repayment period of 50 years, she must pay just over 11,300 in interest and installments per month, according to the Housing Bank. That’s almost six thousand Swedish kroner less than what she pays in rent today. But the municipality believes she can only afford a start-up loan of 2,470,000. It is too little to buy a home in Oslo with today’s housing prices. Øyvind Sellevold is responsible for start-up loans at the Welfare Agency. He speaks on a general basis and has no knowledge of Rama’s case. – When we give loans, we have to put in a buffer. We have to take into account that interest rates may rise sharply or increased electricity prices and living costs. Saving housing costs is important But Rama would probably have saved a good deal of money a month if she had gotten a start-up loan. And that is also an important principle, explains Osmund Kaldheim, who is the head of Husbanken. Osmund Kaldheim is managing director of Husbanken. Photo: Eirik Gjesdal / news – An important part of the assessment for start-up loans is whether owning a home results in lower housing costs than renting a home. He speaks in general terms, and cannot say anything about Rama’s case. Kaldheim believes this is especially important when the family has a low income and many children. And that it is well taken care of today. – If it is possible to make improvements to it, then we are open to looking at it, says Kaldheim. Haven’t lost hope The rejection of the start-up loan has given Rama Jama a blow. – It’s like running a marathon without being allowed to finish. The 38-year-old has a “plan B”. – Until I get another solution, I think I might rent a private apartment. But she has not completely given up hope of getting a start-up loan. The dream is to live in the district of Sagene, where Rama Jama has lived for 22 years. But she is realistic. Housing prices are lower, for example, in Bjørndal, Vestli or Holmlia. Photo: Bård Nafstad / NRKDream is to live in the district of Sagene, where Rama Jama has lived for 22 years. But she is realistic. House prices are lower, for example, in Bjørndal, Vestli or Holmlia. Photo: Bård Nafstad / news Rama Jama hopes that the politicians and those in positions of power and responsibility can adapt the rules, so that she and others in her situation have the opportunity to buy their own home. – My wish is for it to be a Christmas present.
ttn-69
Can’t get a mortgage – have too many children – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
