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Ove was evicted – got a new chance with Housing First
When Ove and his twin brother were given their own home after four years of homelessness, it also led to a job as a service assistant at Housing First. It is a role he enjoys and where he can make a difference for others.
Ove welcomes visitors and study groups to the Housing First meeting venue. The walls are adorned with artwork created by tenants, depicting the dream of having a home of one’s own.
In the middle of the New Year holidays ten years ago, Ove and his brother were evicted from their apartment in one of Stockholm’s southern suburbs. The neighbours had been unhappy with the brothers, whom they had perceived as disruptive for a long time, so when the property was converted into tenant-owned housing, the brothers lost their apartment. When a guest also died from an overdose in Ove’s and his brother’s apartment, there was no turning back. Although a lawyer helped clear them of most of the neighbours’ accusations, the eviction was carried out.
– We were homeless for five years and lived in various types of accommodation and shelters. Society does not provide support once you have been evicted, Ove says.
In 2020, the brothers were able to move into an apartment through the social services via Housing First, a stroke of luck that led to major changes in Ove’s life. There are no requirements for complete sobriety or drug abstinence to obtain an apartment through Housing First, but tenants must manage their tenancy like anyone else.
We were homeless for five years and lived in various types of accommodation and shelters. Society does not provide support once you have been evicted.
Ove
Tenant in Housing First and service assistant at the City of Stockholm’s meeting venue Mallis.
Tenants who have been given a home through Housing First receive a visit once a week from a so-called case manager, a trained social worker.
– You do not have to let your case manager in if you do not want to, but it can be quite negative if something has happened. I always let ours in, says Ove.
They avoid inviting guests home or letting people into the apartment.
– All my childhood friends are gone. Sure, I know people from half the city, but they are not people you would want to bring home who would fit into a square room.
When it comes to love and relationships, he notes:
– No, no women. I prefer socialising with women as friends. I have never been much for being in a relationship.
Job as a service assistant at a meeting venue
Ove started working as a service assistant at the meeting venue Mallis in January 2025. Mallis is a meeting place for Housing First tenants, centrally located in Stockholm, and the premises are shared with the association Street Minds.
– I welcome study visits and other tenants who come here for the first time and tell them about the activities at Mallis.
He has also taken part in management forums, spoken with researchers working on Housing First, and is a member of the board of the association Street Minds. Ove also keeps the premises tidy, ensures that rules regarding drug use are followed, and is involved in many of Mallis’s activities.
Artistic and creative activities are close to his heart. The walls of the venue are decorated with paintings created and exhibited by Ove and other tenants. They go on excursions, for example to the archipelago, or visit museums and farms.
– Our theatre group leader brought a group to Gröna Lund for a pentathlon last summer; it was very much appreciated, Ove says, smiling broadly at the memory.
TEXT: Lotta Segelberg
What is Housing First?
Housing First is a model for helping people who are homeless, often with mental health issues or substance dependence. The basic idea is simple: a safe home is the starting point – not the end goal.
How it works
The individual is given their own housing immediately, without requirements of sobriety, drug abstinence or prior treatment. They decide their own goals and what support they need. Alongside the housing, voluntary treatment and support services are offered, such as contact with healthcare, social services or support teams.
Why Housing First?
People have a greater chance of improving their wellbeing and creating stability in life when they have a safe place to live. Housing First is based on respect, voluntariness and the principle that everyone has the right to a home.
Source: Bostadforst.se, Swedish City Missions
Read an article about the RECO research project developing Housing First:
How homelessness is defined
The National Board of Health and Welfare defines homelessness broadly: from lacking a roof over one’s head to staying temporarily with others, in institutions, emergency accommodation or without permanent housing.
More than half of people experiencing homelessness have neither substance misuse problems nor a psychiatric diagnosis, but low or no income is a common cause.
Two out of three people in acute or temporary homelessness are men, and one third have children under the age of 18.
The number of people in acute or temporary homelessness has decreased somewhat, while long-term solutions such as Housing First – where the municipal social services hold the housing contract – have increased by 10 per cent since 2017.
Source: National board of Health and Welfare
