Naalakkersuisut has presented proposal for a new Inatsisartutlov on renting housing. The purpose is, among other things, to collect and modernize the current tenancy legislation and create a more transparent set of rules in the housing area.
But according to Ane Hansen, member of Inatsisartut for Inuit Ataqatigiit, the bill should be seen in a wider social context.
Naalakkersuisut has presented proposal for a new Inatsisartutlov on renting housing. The purpose is, among other things, to collect and modernize the current tenancy legislation and create a more transparent set of rules in the housing area.
But according to Ane Hansen, member of Inatsisartut for Inuit Ataqatigiit, the bill should be seen in a wider social context.
She points out that a family that falls behind on rent can end up losing their home, and that in some cases this can have consequences for the children.
– When it comes to families with children, we from Inuit Ataqatigiit think that social legislation and housing legislation should be more coherent.
Fears consequences for the children
Ane Hansen particularly highlights situations where families are affected by financial problems, without necessarily being a case of abuse or neglect.
– When families with children lose their address, it can happen that their children are removed from their parents, even if the families or parents do not have problems with alcohol or hashish abuse. And even if the parents do not neglect their children, she says.
According to Ane Hansen, there is therefore a need to look at whether the legislation gives families sufficient opportunities to get help before problems develop.
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For Inuit Ataqatigiit, it’s about intervening before a family’s financial problems develop into a situation where they lose their home.
Ane Hansen points to illness or loss of work as examples of events that can suddenly change a family’s financial situation.
– A family can be well-functioning and successful, but if they get into a situation where they are affected by illness or something else, it can lead to them having difficulty getting it all together.
Home insurance should be more flexible
One of the specific areas that Inuit Ataqatigiit points to is housing insurance.
In their rapporteur’s submission to the proposal for the new tenancy law, Inuit Ataqatigiit writes that it is “extremely urgent” that Naalakkersuisut completes the work on housing insurance.
Ane Hansen believes that the scheme should be more flexible and take account of changes in families’ finances.
– Our message is, among other things, that housing insurance must be updated so that it corresponds to today’s conditions to a greater extent. Situations may arise where a family is suddenly affected by illness or loses their job, where we think that the framework for housing insurance can be more flexible.
According to Ane Hansen, one should also consider how families get access to the aid.
Would rather help families with children
For Inuit Ataqatigiit, however, the question is whether the legislation sufficiently takes into account the social consequences of losing one’s home.
– Selvfølgelig vil der være nogle tilfælde, hvor det er nødvendigt, at et barn bliver anbragt uden for hjemmet. We can’t avoid that. Men i andre tilfælde bør der findes andre løsninger.
– We would rather help families with children and pave the way for better solutions through the law than just removing the children from the parents because the parents are unable to pay their rent when there is no other serious basis for it.
She is therefore calling for legislation where problems can be dealt with earlier.
– If you become aware of a problem or a challenge, according to the law there must be a framework for how to help the individual family.
