Our Way 2/22 1
Having a home is a HUMAN RIGHT According to the U
nited Nations, some 1.6 billion people worldwide live in inadequate housing conditions1 , although having a home is a basic human right. This belief is shared by Wallfast, which is working with Bobyrån to help unhoused individuals find homes. S ince 2014, Wallfast and its subsidiary Hässelby Hem have provided between five and ten apartments a year to support the work of Stockholms Stadsmission (Stockholm City Mission), of which Bobyrån is the housing division. “Every apartment means a family doesn’t have to live in the street or in vulnerable environments,” says Tanja Küller, who heads up Bobyrån. TANJA AND HER colleagues are committed to helping people get into the housing market. Their project Bostad Först (Home First) focuses on offering a place to live to individuals with psychosocial issues, based on the belief that having a home can be a first step towards finding a job and addressing other issues. Furthermore, Stockholms Stadsmission provides support to help people keep that home. “You would normally need a job and be free of addiction before getting an apartment, but, if you have a home first, everything else becomes much easier. When someone receives a home via Bostad Först, we follow up every week and help with paying rent and bills, and other practical things that you might not be on top of if you’ve never had an apartment. We take on the lease at first, but, if everything goes well, the tenant can take over after a year or two,” explains Tanja, adding: “It’s always a celebratory moment when we hand over the lease and all the keys to someone who has really struggled to get their life in order.” THE RESULTS SPEAK for themselves. Some 80% of Bostad Först’s tenants typically manage to keep their homes, compared with 30% of people who find an apartment the “regular” way. As Tanja explains, Stockholms Stadsmission also has many other initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness in the city, but sometimes individual solutions are needed. “Homelessness has many faces, and the people who experience it are not always the ones you expect,” she says. “Unfortunately, many children live in homelessness today and are forced to move around constantly. In this case, it’s important for society to step in and help. In the end, it’s better for everyone.” 1 HTTPS://WWW.UN.ORG/EN/DESA/HOMELESSNESS-COULD-HAPPEN-ANYONE IT’S ALWAYS A CELEBRATORY MOMENT WHEN WE HAND OVER THE LEASE AND ALL THE KEYS TO SOMEONE WHO HAS REALLY STRUGGLED TO GET THEIR LIFE IN ORDER. Tanja Küller Head of Bobyrån OUR WAY 2/2022 21