This is how we can fight poverty in Bergen

If you earn too much, families run the risk of moving from their apartment and neighbourhood.

A mother said once to me: “I don’t dare to establish close contacts and relationships in the neighbourhood, because I don’t know if I want to be here in three years”.

Housing shortages are a major problem in Norwegian municipalities, and it often affects those who are poor, especially immigrant families who are dependent on housing support. Many people move from one district to another, and young people in particular lose belonging and networks as a result.

This is a topic that engages me strongly. Poverty is a growing social problem, and housing problems are one reason.

In Norway, it is common to own your own home, and this is an important value for those who have the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, there are many who struggle to find a suitable home that can contribute to a good life. I believe this should also be included in the new action plan against poverty that Bergen municipality is working on.

Municipal housing must initially be a temporary solution, and it is expected that you will eventually manage on your own. The challenge, however, is that many people see this as the only option for housing, due to a lack of alternatives.

You often do not have the opportunity to buy your own home, and the only alternative is to find housing on the private market, but unfortunately, finding private housing is almost impossible for many.

Sometimes it ends up with one of the parents quitting, or reducing their job, to avoid exceeding the income limit in order to keep the municipal housing.

“It’s easier to find a job than to find a private home, so I have to reduce my position to be able to keep the home,” a father once said. It becomes extra difficult when children and young people understand this strategy.

A father told me once that his 13-year-old son said to him: “Dad, I don’t want to move away from my friends, so please don’t let us move.” When the father told his son that it is Bergen municipality that cannot renew the housing contract, and that they therefore had to move, the son replied: “Can’t you do exactly the same as X’s father?”

“What did he do?” asked the father. “He stopped working, so they can live here and lose none of their friends,” replied the boy.

You can happily say that it pays to work as much as you want, but such a family in this situation will disagree and say no, it does not pay to work. This is a big problem that needs to be solved together.

My concrete proposals to the new action plan are:

1. Increase the income limit, so that it becomes more motivating to work.
2. Increase the contract period from three years to five–six years.
3. Go through the guidelines for the start-up loan scheme, as it is quite rigid and lacks flexibility.
4. Increase cooperation between municipal housing authorities and the labor market agencies to help families in municipal housing to find and keep work, as well as to ensure sufficient income to maintain the housing situation