Homelessness in Sweden
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File:Homeless bed.jpg, Sweden, 2013.]]
Homelessness in Sweden affects {{circa|28,000}} people.
The Swedish government's response to homelessness has included commissioning national surveys on homelessness during the last decade that allow for direct comparison between Sweden, Denmark and Norway.Busch-Geertsema, Volker. "Defining and measuring homelessness." Homelessness Research in Europe: Festschrift for Bill Edgar and Joe Doherty (2010): 19-39. The three countries have very similar definitions of homelessness, with minor variations.Benjaminsen, Lars, and Evelyn Dyb. "The Effectiveness of Homeless Policies–Variations among the Scandinavian Countries." European Journal of Homelessness 2 (2008).
Some researchers maintain that measures to counteract homelessness in Sweden are largely dependent on a general premise equating homelessness with addiction, mental illness and deviance.Löfstrand, Cecilia Hansen. "Reforming the work to combat long-term homelessness in Sweden." Acta Sociologica 53, no. 1 (2010): 19-34. On the other hand, youth homelessness is considered a child protection problem.Healy, Karen, Tommy Lundström, and Marie Sallnäs. "A comparison of out-of-home care for children and young people in Australia and Sweden: Worlds apart?." Australian Social Work 64, no. 4 (2011): 416-431.
Surveys
The National Board of Health and Welfare ({{langx|sv|Socialstyrelsen}}) has released a survey of homelessness every six years since 2011. They cover 4 groups of homeless people in Sweden:
- Acute homelessness
- : Lives in emergency housing, hostel, protected shelter or similar. Also includes living outside, in garages/stairwells/cellars/public places/attics/tents/cars or similar.
- Institution or assisted living, to leave within 3 months
- : People that are currently in housing for people with disabilities, compulsory care, youth care, foster care or imprisoned, but who has to leave within 3 months without any housing solution prepared.
- Long-term living arrangements organised by the Social Services
- : Housing solutions with a contract for housing combined with supervision, special rules and limited house ownership rights ({{langx|sv|besittningsrätt|link=no}}).
- Private short-term living arrangement
- : Lives non-voluntarily, temporary and without a contract among friends or acquaintances and with family or relatives.
Street newspapers
File:Situation Sthlm vendor Stockholm.jpg
There are several street newspapers in Sweden. Situation Sthlm,{{cite news|url=https://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/de-hemlosas-tidningar-prisades/ |url-access=subscription |title=De hemlösas tidningar prisades |trans-title=The homeless' newspapers awarded |last=Holender |first=Robert |date=2006-05-22 |work=Dagens Nyheter |language=sv |access-date=2009-02-11 }} was founded in 1995 and was Sweden's only street newspaper until Faktum and Aluma were founded early in the 2000s.{{cite web | last=Boukhari | first=Sophie | title=The press takes to the street | url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001149/114969e.pdf | publisher=UNESCO | work=The UNESCO Courier | year=1999}}
In 2006 the three street newspapers were awarded the grand prize of Publicistklubben (Swedish Publicists' Association).{{cite news|url=http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/ekot/arkiv.asp?DagensDatum=2006-05-22&Artikel=863076 |title=Röster åt utsatta fick publicistpris |date=2006-05-22 |work=Ekot |publisher=Sveriges Radio |language=sv |access-date=2009-02-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614004653/http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/ekot/arkiv.asp?DagensDatum=2006-05-22&Artikel=863076 |archive-date=2006-06-14 }}
In 2013, a Swedish tech company created software for the homeless newspaper vendors to accept credit card payments via a mobile app.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/18/izettle-mobile-payments-homeless-sweden|title=Stockholm's homeless now accept payments - by debit card|first=Samuel|last=Gibbs|date=18 October 2013|newspaper=The Guardian}}
In art
In 2015, a Swedish art exhibition at Malmö Konsthall titled “The Alien Within: A Living Laboratory of Western Society” included two homeless people from Romania. The homeless people were not accepting money from visitors but were paid at hourly rate by the event organizers.{{cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/are-homeless-people-exploited-in-swedish-art-installation-239872|title=Are Homeless People Exploited in Swedish Art Installation? - artnet News|date=2 February 2015}}
Health
Researchers have found that excess mortality among homeless men and women in Stockholm is entirely related to alcohol and drug abuse.Beijer, Ulla, Sven Andreasson, Gunnar Ågren, and Anna Fugelstad. "Mortality and causes of death among homeless women and men in Stockholm." Scandinavian journal of public health 39, no. 2 (2011): 121-127.
Some researchers have conducted studies on the oral health of homeless people in Sweden and found that they have fewer remaining teeth than the general population.De Palma, Patricia, Lars Frithiof, Lena Persson, Björn Klinge, Jan Halldin, and Ulla Beijer. "Oral health of homeless adults in Stockholm, Sweden." Acta Odontologica Scandinavica 63, no. 1 (2005): 50-55.
References
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{{Europe topic |Homelessness in}}