Inflation and ever higher interest rates affect the whole society in different ways – but for certain groups it leads to drastically changed living conditions. A new report from the Kronofogden shows that the number of evictions in the country has increased by 33 percent from 2018 to today, and according to Reza Saleh Baars, section head of the Kronofogden, more and more children are affected.
– This year alone, 345 children have been affected by evictions. And if you compare it with the same period last year, we see that there is an increase of 28 percent and this is a worrying development.
Reza Saleh Baars works with preventive efforts and children’s rights. According to her, the development is followed very carefully and the increase is due, among other things, to the tough economic times.
– With increased costs, it will be difficult for those who had difficulty getting the money even before these costs increased. Although most people want to do right by themselves and want to pay their bills, we see that this also affects housing costs.
Worrying numbers
Elisabeth Dahlin, Children’s Ombudsman believes that we should take these figures seriously.
– These are very worrying numbers. Behind every number there is a child and we know the consequences. Having a safe home is so fundamental for all children – it’s about schooling, free time and friends, she says.
According to Elisabeth, many of the children in these families have lived in socio-economic vulnerability before, which puts them at risk of ending up in lifelong exclusion.
– And that’s why it’s so important with both this prevention, to catch these families before it happens, but also to follow up on what happens to the children, so they don’t end up in the middle of nowhere, she says.
May be due to mental illness
The most common reason why a landlord decides to terminate a lease is because there is a rent arrears – that the tenant has not paid their rent or is late in paying it.
– A rent debt can have to do with finances, but can also be a symptom of or a consequence of something else. It can be about mental illness, it can be about addiction. And that’s where it’s so important that social services come in with these early interventions, says Reza.
– We have several different examples where both landlords and social services work together to, as far as possible, investigate whether there is anything else that can be done so that the children do not end up without a home, she continues.