Homelessness in Sweden affects some 34,000 people.[1] [2]
The Swedish government's response to homelessness has included commissioning national surveys on homelessness during the last decade that allow for direct comparison between Sweden, Denmark and Norway.[3] The three countries have very similar definitions of homelessness, with minor variations.[4]
Some researchers maintain that measures to counteract homelessness in Sweden are largely dependent on a general premise equating homelessness with addiction, mental illness and deviance.[5] On the other hand, youth homelessness is considered a child protection problem.[6]
The National Board of Health and Welfare (Swedish: Socialstyrelsen) has released a survey of homelessness every six years since 2011. They cover 4 groups of homeless people in Sweden:
Lives in emergency housing, hostel, protected shelter or similar. Also includes living outside, in garages/stairwells/cellars/public places/attics/tents/cars or similar.
People that are currently in housing for people with disabilities, compulsory care, youth care, foster care or imprisoned, but who has to leave within 3 months without any housing solution prepared.
Housing solutions with a contract for housing combined with supervision, special rules and limited house ownership rights (Swedish: besittningsrätt|link=no).
Lives non-voluntarily, temporary and without a contract among friends or acquaintances and with family or relatives.
| Year | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Total | Notes | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Numbers are approximate. | |||||||
| 2017 | The total would be with 2023's methodology. | |||||||
| 2023 | The reported total is more than the sum of the groups. |
There are several street newspapers in Sweden. Situation Sthlm,[7] was founded in 1995 and was Sweden's only street newspaper until Faktum and Aluma were founded early in the 2000s.[8]
In 2006 the three street newspapers were awarded the grand prize of Publicistklubben (Swedish Publicists' Association).[9]
In 2013, a Swedish tech company created software for the homeless newspaper vendors to accept credit card payments via a mobile app.[10]
In 2015, a Swedish art exhibition at Malmö Konsthall titled “The Alien Within: A Living Laboratory of Western Society” included two homeless people from Romania. The homeless people were not accepting money from visitors but were paid at hourly rate by the event organizers.[11]
Researchers have found that excess mortality among homeless men and women in Stockholm is entirely related to alcohol and drug abuse.[12]
Some researchers have conducted studies on the oral health of homeless people in Sweden and found that they have fewer remaining teeth than the general population.[13]