The case in summary Defense personnel in Skjold camp in Indre Troms experience poor living conditions. Trade union representative Andreas Urdal talks about unsatisfactory ventilation, shared showers and little privacy. The housing shortage in the camp has gone from bad to worse. Employees have had to move to temporary housing. Forsvarsbygg works continuously to improve the Defense’s building and housing stock, but there is an annual renovation backlog of half a billion kroner. Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen acknowledges that there is a great need to increase the number and improve living conditions for employees and soldiers. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram reveals that housing is a priority in the new long-term plan for the Armed Forces. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – There is, so to speak, nothing that gets through here. Vice-Corporal Andreas Urdal (20) puts an A4 sheet up against the ventilation system in his room. The sheet falls down. There is hardly any air from the facility, and it is noticeable when you enter the building he and his colleagues will call home for a year. – Here there is a shared shower, and you have to go down two flights of stairs to go to the toilet. You don’t get your own time. It is struggling, people get irritated and frustrated, says Urdal. The employees can choose between a shared toilet and a urinal. Few people want to use the urinal. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news He is a NOF shop steward in the Engineer Battalion in Skjold camp in Øverbygd in Indre Troms, where the housing shortage has long been precarious. Now it has gone from bad to worse. Because while Forsvarsbygg is renovating the so-called “new fair” in the camp, Urdal and 49 colleagues have moved to temporary housing. Six colleagues share a communal shower Most people think it’s good to come home after a long day at work, cook dinner, take a hot shower and relax on the sofa. But there is not much “home, dear home” for Urdal and several of his colleagues. – Fortunately, I was standing with a towel around me, but I myself have experienced that the one French lady who works here came in while I had finished showering and was about to change, he says. Partition walls have been installed in the men’s shower to give the employees privacy. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news There are two shower rooms in the building. One for men and one for women. Here you have to settle for showering at the same time as others after the end of the working day. You cannot lock, so you risk someone of the opposite sex entering by mistake. The shower in the women’s cloakroom is so narrow that it is almost impossible to separate them. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news They only get privacy in their own room. But the building is so quiet that you can hear each other talking through several walls. As employees of the Armed Forces, they pay to have a satisfactory place to live after work. Those who live at “nymessa” pay NOK 2,400 in rent. – This corresponds to unsatisfactory housing for the employees. We have asked for compensation, says Urdal. Urdal is one of many who have the dope paper ready in their room in the defense dormitory. They would prefer that their home had its own toilets. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news He is afraid that the housing situation will exceed his ability to defend himself. This is both because they are exhausted by the housing situation, and because more people choose to become commuters. 50 people share four washing machines. After practice, they have to wait in line to have their clothes cleaned. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news Backlog of half a billion a year Housing shortage is a challenge not only in the camp, but also in the municipality. There are not enough rental properties on the market. Målselv municipality tried a few years ago to establish a housing partnership with the Norwegian Armed Forces. The plan was to build an apartment complex in Øverbygd, which the Armed Forces could rent. It has now been put on hold, says deputy mayor Bengt-Magne Luneng (Sp). – I think it would be a good idea to bring it up again. That would benefit the municipality and remedy the situation the defense employees are in, he says. Deputy mayor of Målselv, Bengt-Magne Luneng (Sp). Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news Both the Norwegian Defense Forces and Forsvarsbygg tell news that the rental housing several employees in Skjold camp and elsewhere in the country have is not of the standard they want. Forsvarsbygg says they are continuously working on improving the Defense’s building and housing stock. – There is a need for an increase, which we are working on. We and the Armed Forces have agreed on that. That’s what regional manager of Forsvarsbygg, Signe Woldseth Søreng, says. Regional manager in Forsvarsbygg Nord, Signe Woldseth Søreng. Photo: Forsvarsbygg In 2022, they spent NOK 769 million on building maintenance on a national basis. Nevertheless, there is an annual renovation backlog of half a billion kroner. At the same time, the Armed Forces will be built up, and there will be a need for more housing for defense employees in several places in the country. Facts about Forsvarsbygg’s building stock Forsvarsbygg manages Norway’s largest public property portfolio on behalf of the Ministry of Defence: it is responsible for 12,866 buildings and structures, which amount to approximately 4.2 million square meters of buildings. 19 percent are layouts and fairs and 6 percent are housing. Maintenance in 2022 (last annual report) was carried out for a total of NOK 769 million. Defense buildings have increased the quality of living conditions for close to 2,500 officers and soldiers, as a result of the government’s investment in housing and quarters in recent years. The work will continue in 2024. The condition of the portfolio is continuously measured. For several years, the defense sector has been in a period where the overall degree of condition is decreasing: an additional annual need of approximately NOK 500 million has been estimated to stop further deterioration. The operative part of the building mass is in a different category, and the condition is better. Fact: Defense construction Søreng says they hope for a housing investment in the new long-term plan for the defense (LTP). – If there is an increase in the number of employees, it also requires that we have housing or quarters to offer them, she says. 25 employees share a small kitchenette, with one refrigerator. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news Recognizing the challenges Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen tells news that they recognize that there is a great need to increase the number and improve living conditions for employees and soldiers. – The need is greatest where the Armed Forces are to build up and there is no major population center nearby. Good living conditions are very important in order to retain, but also recruit, personnel for the Armed Forces, he says. Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen believes that housing and quarters must be prioritized in the new long-term plan for the Armed Forces. Photo: Malin Straumsnes / Malin Straumsnes Kristoffersen says they expect further investment in defense housing and quarters. Last year, the Minister of Defense gave NOK 100 million extra for housing at Skjold and Setermoen camps. Both military camps are located in Indre Troms. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) says Forsvarsbygg has been commissioned to build 31 new homes in connection with Skjold. Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram. Here from a visit to Indre Troms in January. Photo: Pål Hansen / news He reveals that housing is a priority in the new long-term plan for the Armed Forces. It will be presented over Easter. – Yes, personnel-related measures will be an important part of the new long-term plan, says Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram. He receives support from Ap’s defense policy spokesperson and Storting politician from Troms, Nils-Ole Foshaug. Storting politician from Målselv and Troms, Nils-Ole Foshaug. He says he is concerned that housing conditions contribute to more defense commuting. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund – These are living conditions that the nation of Norway cannot be familiar with. It is important for the defense capability that our soldiers and employees live and thrive at the military camps, and they must have decent housing. It is important to avoid commuting. The importance of good housing Although commuting gives the employees a proper home to go to at weekends, Urdal agrees that commuting can weaken the Armed Forces. Representative for the Norwegian Officers’ and Specialists’ Association and vice-corporal in the Engineer Battalion, Andreas Urdal (20). Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news – Housing is extremely important for defense capabilities. It keeps the operative ability up by giving people time to relieve themselves after work and service. A safe place to live is one of the most important things for a person, says Urdal. He says there are more people who become burnt out from having such a living situation over time. Some employees have also expressed that they want to quit, even though they enjoy their jobs. It is sparingly furnished in the living quarters they pay to rent furnished. This is Urdal’s only table. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news Urdal hopes the Armed Forces and the municipality can find solutions together. – We hope they can provide the employees with better housing so that they can have a family life here, instead of being single for five years, he says.
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Unsatisfactory living conditions in Skjold camp – news Troms and Finnmark
