With the Housing Act, which came into force in 2016, a municipality is obliged to receive new arrivals who have been assigned to the municipality for residence. The property office is responsible for redeeming housing for designated new arrivals in the municipality. Next year, the contracts start to expire, something GP has previously reported.
- You have chosen to solve it in different ways in the municipalities. In Gothenburg, they have chosen to have review apartments with rental contracts of four years. The first four-year contracts, the ones that were awarded here in 2016, start to expire next year, says Erik Gedeck, department manager at the real estate office.
850 children are affected
The number of instructions is based on population size, prerequisite for work, how many newly arrived and unaccompanied children the municipality has received in total and the extent of asylum seekers staying in the municipality. In total, there are 2,700 new arrivals who may be left without housing when the contracts start to expire from May next year. 850 of them are children.
- It is a worrying situation, where the consequences can be increased homelessness, children who go to school and need to change school. We need to work on an action plan to minimize the risks.
The Real Estate Office is working on developing a broader impact assessment and action plan to the Property Board with a proposal to pass it on to the local council.
Average queuing time: 5-6 years
Erik Gedeck explains that the newcomers received information that their lease was valid for four years when they moved in. At that time, the average time for housing was low to get an apartment of four years.
- Today it is five to six years. We communicate with the residents around where you can search for housing, residences and private actors and in other municipalities. Would like to try the possibility of reusing the apartments to the next assigned new arrivals, so far we have not done so, but should anyone relocate we try to offer the apartment to a new arrival in the municipality.
Would it be possible to extend the contracts if the new arrivals did not find a home?
- We are fully aware of the decisions that politicians make. But it is important that we develop an action plan together with the people concerned, the school, the social services to see what it is the municipality needs to gather and be prepared for.
Would you be able to provide accommodation to the upcoming designated new arrivals if the contracts are extended?
- Yes, if we get apartments. We can't guarantee it, but if we get apartments from public utility and private housing companies, says Erik Gedeck.