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The latest forecast from the National Board of Housing, Construction and Planning shows that the pace of new home construction is slowing in the wake of the corona pandemic, at the same time that 462,000 homes in the country are overcrowded. According to the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, 90 percent of Sweden’s population lives in municipalities with a housing shortage.
Between 2015 and 2019, half of the homes completed in Stockholm County were one or two. In total, approximately 83,000 homes were completed; of these, 70 percent were condominiums, the rest were rental apartments.
The problem is that no larger apartments are being built than are needed. One reason is that it has become too expensive to build. The gap between Stockholmers’ actual housing needs and the homes being built is growing.
When building larger apartments, five and six, the rent is usually around SEK 20,000 a month. That’s what Henrik Weston, development manager for the County Administrative Board, says.
– Not an option for many overcrowded families because they are generally long-term sources of income, he says.
– The housing policy that has been followed so far does not hold up in a growing region like Stockholm. A region cannot just build housing for high-income people, Henrik Weston continues.
Tove Samzelius, PhD student in social sciences at the University of Malmö and thematic advisor to Save the Children, emphasizes that the new production cannot replace cheaper apartments.
– Those who are single and low-wage are not approved for newly built apartments because many homeowners have high income requirements, he says.
According to Tove Samzelius, the overcrowding problems have arisen from a combination of changes in housing policy, social security and the labor market.
– A large proportion of those most affected are of foreign origin. The foundation for these problems has been laid for the past 30 years, he says.
Housing Minister Per Bolund meets with the Skärholmen youth council. From left to right: Solomon Råden, Malak Hassen, Esra Al Zubiedy, Cattis Carlén Politica, Per Bolund, Yasser Alaridi and Walid Khodr.
Photo: Roger Turesson
Children living in crowded areas are adversely affected. Both your health and your schooling may suffer, according to a study by the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The study also shows that many children are ashamed of their housing situation.
The feelings of shame that The overcrowding she creates is something Tove Samzelius also wants to highlight.
– That is an important aspect. You cannot bring friends home and you have no place at home. Where can young people who live in the narrowest areas go? Where are safe indoor and outdoor environments?
There are two types of crowding: voluntary and involuntary. Some people choose to live in more attractive areas and then find themselves living in crowded areas. But for those who are unintentionally overcrowded, the human consequences can be many.
– It affects both physical and mental well-being, relationships, daily life and practice. When your parents are not feeling well and have no real control over their lives, it of course affects the children too, says Tove Samzelius.
To cope with crowding the starting point must be to recognize that it is a problem, says Tove Samzelius.
– This is a question of which society you really want to live in, he says.
Finance and Housing Minister Per Bolund (MP) believes that the focus should be on building houses that people can afford to live in and that are built according to the needs of residents.
– At the national level, more knowledge and information is needed about what the housing shortage looks like, he says.
Per Bolund points out that municipalities are primarily responsible for ensuring that the housing supply works.
– What we are doing right now is seeing how we can better support municipalities, but also residents, through housing subsidies, which means you can really afford to pay the rent for a slightly larger apartment says Per Bolund and continues:
– Now we have managed to agree with the Liberals and the Center Party to have investment support that allows us to build apartments with lower incomes. It’s about spending money on longer-term investments.
According to Tove Samzelius it is the most common size of an apartment in one million Stockholm program areas, one third. In Skärholmen, one of the Stockholm suburbs that were covered by the huge reform program in the 1960s, overcrowding is a well-known phenomenon. This is where DN meets Per Bolund when he participates in the local youth council premises at the local youth council meeting.
Bertil opened the Skärholmen center in September 1968. It is then the largest suburban center in Stockholm.
Photo: U Simonsson / Stockholm City Museum
Overcrowding and housing shortages are some of the topics discussed. The Minister of Housing asks the young people what they think of the houses being built today.
– Most people appreciate when more is built, but they are worried and think “Can I afford to live, how high is the rent?” Many young people are moving house later and later because prices are only going up, says Solomon Råden.
Despite the young In council that views homebuilding in a positive light, they wonder if newly built homes are actually being built for them.
– When houses have been built, they have been condominiums and not rental apartments, most people cannot afford to buy an apartment, says Malak Hassen.
Esra Al Zubiedy believes that the pandemic has affected people who live in crowded places the most.
– You may not have the best relationship with your parents or something. So you lock yourself in your room and the psyche doesn’t feel good about it, he says.
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