Families with children in homelessness in at least seven of the ten municipalities in the Stockholm

In the beginning of 2017, showed a survey made by the city of Stockholm to homelessness among families with children had increased since 2015, while homelessness in general had decreased.

the DN has asked all municipalities in the Stockholm Region, and the districts in the city of Stockholm, to answer questions about the families with children in homelessness in 2018.

21 responded, , together with eight of the eleven neighborhoods in the city of Stockholm. Social services in 18 municipalities and seven districts stated that they at some point in the last year been in contact with homeless families with children.

How many families it varies greatly between the municipalities and the districts. Seven municipalities or boroughs have indicated that they have not encountered any families with children in homelessness at all in the last year, while others have several instances in a week.

according to several municipalities and districts there has been a change in the pattern of how families with children ends up in unsafe housing conditions. Was previously the evictions more common, while the main problem now is the actual entry in the housing market – at all find a permanent home.

Bristol was the town in the measurement of 2017 had the highest number of homeless families with children. Since then, the work of the group intensified, " says Anna Mattsson, head of department at the social services in the district.

" We do not see that there are fewer in that situation, but that we become better at supporting and providing help. It will constantly new families, " she says.

figures helped the district in average, four families a week with akutboende during the last year. However, it is not certain if the various families with children, but the same family might have received help several times.

Anna Mattsson tells us that the work is mainly about helping children living in homelessness to still get the stability and encouragement in life.

" We are working with, inter alia, föräldrarådgivare, who communicates with and supports parents and children. Trying to see where there is space for the children to read the homework and if there is any leisure activity they can engage in. Then, we have worked with bolotsar which helps the parents to search the residence.

that even if social services can support families and give them the information, it is they themselves who must find a home. She says that a number of families found more long-term accommodation last year and a few managed to get a tenancy agreement. At the same time, she notes that the situation on the Stockholm housing market is extremely strained and that homelessness among families with children is a big problem.

" You're talking about there is a risk of a hemlöshetscykel, if you live with parents who do not have the accommodation as there is a risk that you yourself repeat it as an adult.

and two districts stated that there has been a reduction of the number of families with children in homelessness as they came in contact with.

In Danderyd, sweden is experiencing the social services that there had been a ”marked reduction” of families with children in homelessness in 2018. In the beginning of 2018 were eleven families with children placed in temporary accommodation and at the end of the year, it had dropped to three.

This, since the increase in resources for working with acute homelessness, according to Louise Fröberg, who is the team leader for vuxenavdelningen in Danderyd municipality.

" What we did was to expand the staff to work with the group. From one to two bosekreterare. You have been able to find permanent accommodation in other stockholmskommuner, " she says.

, who, in their activities, meet people in homelessness and vulnerability, experiencing, however, an increase in homeless families with children who approached the organization in 2018. It said Marika Markovits, who is the director there.

– It is to be a paradigm shift in Stockholm, where children grow up in incredibly different conditions. I think that neither we nor the municipalities have the full overview on how it looks.

Marika Markovits says that a factor that had a major impact since the last measurement was made is how municipalities interpret their responsibility to provide accommodation for the new arrivals in Sweden. Recently, the news came to the island of Lidingö municipality received the right, when the question whether to terminate the newcomers bostadskontrakt after two years tested in court. The social services in the municipality report that this has not so far affected the group in any greater extent, because you are actively working to give families support.

homeless families with children, the Stockholm city mission, the encounter is just those who come to Sweden relatively recently, " says Marika Markovits. It is usually families who have a lack of networking and other support.

– They have a residence permit, the right to be here and there is a labour market that is crying out for them. It is completely unreasonable that you do not then can solve the housing issue.

She believes that all municipalities in Stockholm should adopt a vision zero for children of homelessness.

" It's good to prevent eviction work, but you also have to work in families with children in accommodation. Otherwise the risk is that all eventually ends up in the municipalities that are prepared to take responsibility.

responsibility for the housing and social services has the ultimate responsibility for the people living or staying in the municipality receive the help and support they need. Marika Markovits calls for greater responsibility, both from the stockholmskommunerna themselves, but also from the region.

– All the local politicians need to understand that you have a duty to provide housing for all residents in the municipality. But it must also develop a common housing-policy programs across municipal boundaries in a region.