The poorhouse does not have enough food – must be closed at Easter

The almshouse in Oslo is so overcrowded that they have to send people home without food. Due to poor access to food, they have to be closed during Easter.

The poor house is located in Grønlandsleiret, close to the police station. It is a non-profit organisation, which is run by volunteers.

Lasse Storvik is a board member, and was until recently chairman of Fattighuset. He tells Aftenposten that they distributed food to 677 people on Wednesday. It was NRK that first mentioned that the Poor House must close at Easter. When NRK published the article, it appeared that only 200 people would receive food that day.

– We managed to get more food than it seemed at first. It is not so bad that we were able to give food to 677 people, says Storvik.

The poorhouse has noticed an increased influx of people who need food.

– There was a steady increase throughout last year. Now our capacity is blown up, says Lasse Storvik.

– Due to the war in Ukraine

Arya Kalhor has recently become chairman of the board of the Poor House. He believes that the most important reason for increased supply and less access to food is the war in Ukraine.

– Many refugees have come here, and the war has also meant that food has become more expensive. When you look in the shops, food and clothes have become almost twice as expensive, points out Arya Kalhor. He says that refugees from all over Eastern Norway come to Fattighuset in Oslo.

– Previously, perhaps 150 to 200 people came a day. Max 300. Now they often have 800-900 in the course of a day, says Kalhor. He is disappointed that the politicians do not allocate more money to help everyone in need.

On the Easter holidays, most shops that donate food are closed. There is also the Matsentralen, which is an organization that ensures that surplus food from grocery stores is given to charities.

– Over 90 per cent of the food we distribute comes from the Food Centre, emphasizes the chairman.

Struggling to get food for everyone who wants it

He also says that the supply of food has worsened after Christmas. For the past six weeks, the Poor House has struggled to provide food for everyone who wants it.

– For the volunteers and me it is very sad. They come here and ask for food, they don’t know that we don’t have enough, says Kalhor. He says that the Poor House is not a rich organisation. The money comes from gifts. But it will not be enough to buy food for 900 people a day.

The poorhouse distributes clothes on Mondays and food on Wednesdays and Fridays. There should therefore not have been a distribution on Maundy Thursday anyway. But there will be no distribution on Good Friday and Easter Monday. People show up in the morning on distribution days. They line up. As long as there is food left, they get tickets that guarantee they will get a bag of food.

– We usually have around ten volunteers in the house on distribution days. In addition, there are three or four outside who organize the queue. On Fridays, there can be as many as twenty people packing bags, explains Lasse Storvik.

Arya Kalhor

chairman of the Fattighuset in Oslo

– There are many kind people

After it became known that the Poor House must be closed at Easter, several gifts have come in from private individuals.

– There are many kind people. Many who have a beating heart for and who care about poverty. They are a group that always supports us. We do not let people starve in our society. I always thank them from the bottom of my heart, concludes Arya Kalhor.