Summary: • The Church’s City Mission has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who need help finding housing, especially among young people and families with children.• Many families are pressured to take a flat outside the school perimeter, which leads to more school changes for the children. • Over 4,500 people are queuing for municipal housing in Norway, an increase of approx. 25% from last year.• The Church’s City Mission in Tønsberg is now approached by other municipalities who wish to learn from their bu-teams. The summary is made by a Ki service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – I am very stressed. We are entering a tough period right now, says “Emma” softly, while the tears press on. In the hallway, boxes and bags of clothes stand in a tower. The family has just moved. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis / news Everything “Emma” and the family of five own has been packed up and will be unpacked. But only temporarily. Within five months, they must have found a new place big enough for the family to live in Tønsberg. Ideally, they want one bedroom for each of the children, but had settled for three bedrooms. She has no idea where they will settle down. “Emma” wishes to remain anonymous out of consideration for the children. Few houses and apartments with many bedrooms Apartments for rent on Finn.no with three or more bedrooms are few. Some are collective, others are short-term rentals, like the one they have now moved into, outside the municipality they want to live in. They simply couldn’t find a large enough house with long-term tenants. For Emma, this is painful. The children have friends, school and leisure activities that they want to return to. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis Emma and her husband do not want to categorize themselves as poor, but have found themselves in a situation where they need help to find a place to live. The few houses on the market in Tønsberg that could suit their needs are too expensive. When you then weed out collective and short-term rentals, there are not many housing units left. The family was offered temporary housing by the municipality at a campsite, or in a flat with two bedrooms. They refused that. – It would be far too crowded, says Emma. news has spoken to Nav and seen documentation on the offer Emma received for temporary accommodation. Nav replies that they have to deal with what is available on the housing market and that it is challenging. Several families with children and young people seek help In Tønsberg, the Church’s City Mission has taken matters into its own hands. They have a bu team that works hard to help people who are on the brink of homelessness. Now there is a crisis. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis / news – After several years of decline, the number of housing allowances is now increasing. We are experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of people who need help finding housing, says Juliane Herzog, manager of social housing in Region Sør, in the Church’s City Mission. The increase is particularly large among young people and families with children. That worries the bu team. – Last year we had 132 cases, and so far this year we have 163 cases. Among them, there are 91 children involved. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis / news Herzog says that many of the families have changed schools several times because they are pressured to take a flat outside the school district. – It is very unfortunate for the children, and it is very painful for the parents. After all, no parent wants that in the first place. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis – One wants stability. A place to lock the door and say “this is my home”. But many of the families we meet don’t have that feeling when they lock the door. And I think everyone deserves that, adds Anette Sorum, action coordinator in Bo-team. This helps the bu team with Since 2004, the bu team in Tønsberg has existed. Since then, they have helped approx. 3,000 people with finding a place to live. They help people with: Being an intermediary – whether it concerns municipal housing or the private market Conversations and guidance to people who need it With financial support from the Housing Bank, they have built nine housing units which they, together with the municipality, house disadvantaged people. The building team has its own moving van that they dispose of. Attend tours. Teach young people what it takes to keep a flat nearby. The housing reserves are used up. Nav refers to an analysis from February where a lack of housing is highlighted as a problem for those seeking social assistance. Several municipalities in Norway report a lack of housing to the main organization of municipalities. – We see that the situation is difficult, and we are aware that in many places it is difficult to obtain dwellings with many bedrooms, says Anne Gamme, subject manager and authority liaison at the Municipal Sector’s organization (KS). Photo: The municipalities’ interest organization KS The reasons for the situation are several, but KS points in particular to the refugee situation and little construction of new housing. – The municipalities have housed a great many refugees, and the housing reserves have been used up. It affects the entire housing market, also because housing construction is low. The largest group of refugees who have come to Norway this year have come from Ukraine. news has previously been in contact with many municipalities to take part in their experiences with Ukrainian refugees. Most emphasize that, although there have been challenges, the Ukrainians are also a great resource. Thousands queuing More than 4,500 people are queuing for municipal housing in Norway. There is an increase of approx. 25% from last year, figures from the Housing Bank show. – We have a hypothesis that it is an underestimate. That there are more people in the queue than we have figures for, says director of knowledge at Husbanken, Hans Christian Sandli. Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news Several municipalities have received money from the Housing Bank to improve the butil shed in their own municipality in collaboration with non-profit sectors. – We believe that some of the solutions lie in more public-private cooperation, and that the municipalities can work together. More people come to learn. Few municipalities have a similar offer to what the Church’s Bymission has in Tønsberg. They are therefore now approached by other municipalities who want to learn from their bu-teams. – What we get from being in the gap, being able to be the outstretched arm, being a bridge builder towards the public sphere. It is a very important function that the non-profit sector has, says Juliane. – We are talking about vulnerable families, young adults and children. There is absolutely nothing to lose here by thinking a little more broadly, says Anette. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis / news Emma and the family get help from the Church’s City Mission to look for a new place to live. – It’s almost like winning the Lotto to find a house to rent, which is big enough and not too expensive. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis The hope is that they will soon find a place in their home municipality where the children can leave their shoes in the hallway, and their clothes can be hung up in the cupboard, without having to be packed up again. Published 23.10.2024, at 21.19
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Several young people and families with children are at risk of becoming homeless – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
