Got a roof, got a chance: How a Swedish city is getting homeless people off the streets

Gothenburg, Sweden, has made significant strides in reducing homelessness over the past decade through their Housing First model. Viking Weiner, a 56-year-old resident, described feeling like he had an "invisible suitcase" after years of homelessness, but now feels at home in his new apartment. Gothenburg, the second-largest city in Sweden with over 600,000 inhabitants, saw a 60% drop in acute homelessness, defined as living on the street or in shelters, over the past decade.

The city's latest survey shows that mental health struggles and substance abuse are the most common issues among the homeless population. Unlike other schemes, Housing First provides housing without requiring sobriety or other preconditions, giving individuals a secure foundation to address their other problems. Borko Grujic, head of operations at Goteborgs Stadsmission, the non-profit that runs the program, noted that 80-90% of those given housing end up staying in their flats.

The Swedish government has adopted a long-term strategy to combat homelessness, but only 126 out of 290 municipalities applied for grants to implement the Housing First model.