Today’s big topic: Thousands of affordable homes have disappeared in a few years, and this is putting pressure on the homeless
What’s happening?
Finding affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult for those with the least. The number of cheap public housing units has plummeted in a short time period.
In 2021, there were just over 41,000 public housing units across the country costing no more than 3,500 kroner per month. That number has more than halved to around 20,000 in 2024. This is according to new figures from Momentum, the analysis magazine of the Local Government Denmark (KL).
This puts pressure on both the poorest and most vulnerable citizens and the municipalities trying to help them.
»We’re talking about citizens who are often on social assistance and have very low disposable income. They rely entirely on cheap public housing if they are to succeed in securing a roof over their heads«, TinaMaria Larsen, head of the Center for Social Initiatives in Aalborg Municipality, says. She is calling the development a »bomb under the homelessness reform«.
Why it matters!
In 2023, a homelessness reform was passed in parliament. It had a declared strategy of housing first, which means focusing on getting the homeless into their own housing before addressing other challenges.
Previously, municipalities frequently used the option to provide social assistance recipients with special support for their rent. This meant one could stay in their home even if the social assistance itself was not quite enough to cover it. However, politicians removed this option with the social assistance reform, which came into effect on July 1. The new minimum social assistance rate is 6,789 kroner per month.
This combined with the decrease in cheap housing units is putting pressure on the municipality’s efforts to help the homeless and vulnerable secure housing, according to several professionals within the field.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– Prime Minister’s appeal to Muslims: »Everyone must behave properly now«
In an interview with Politiken Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen (S), delivers a harsh criticism of the Muslim community in Denmark, which, according to the Prime Minister, is not living up to its responsibility. Both in terms of preventing negative social control, but also regarding the criminal youth with non-Western backgrounds who top the crime statistics.
»Many of us are aware that an attack can occur at an S-train station, or that a young guy can be sitting alone in the back of a bus, and suddenly two or three individuals with an Arab background come in and assault him. That insecurity is the absolute biggest problem,« says the Prime Minister, adding:
»This fundamentally changes only when the Muslim community in Denmark itself says that everyone must behave properly«.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister is criticizing Roskilde University for having a high share of students from Bangladesh. In 2024, one in six master’s degree students came from the Muslim country. They come on a study program, but they and their spouses are also allowed to work in Denmark.
Read the full article here.
– More than 130,000 Danes are now on ADHD medication
A dramatic increase in the number of Danish adults on ADHD medication in just a few years is driving a trend that has experts concerned about potential overdiagnosis and overmedication.
Measured in dry numbers, 133,295 people redeemed at least one prescription for ADHD medication last year, according to data from the Danish Health Data Authority’s database Medstat.dk. That is significantly more than a doubling compared to 2020, when 60,915 people took the pills, which often contain amphetamine-like substances that increase attention, reduce impulsivity, and improve memory.
Comparing to 2010, the trend is unequivocal. Back then, 31,790 were in treatment. This means there has been a growth in medical ADHD treatment of a whopping 319 percent since then.
»I don’t know of any other disease with such a large growth unless something dangerous has suddenly come into the water or a new virus has spread«, Julie Nordgaard says.
She is a professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Copenhagen and chief physician and research leader in psychiatry in Roskilde. She calls such a large and sudden growth in the number of people medicated for ADHD »remarkable«, »dramatic«, and »concerning«.
– Mobile phones are becoming an increasing problem during train journeys
Feet off the seat, move your bag from the empty seat next to you, remember your trash, and no thanks to graffiti or tagging. These are all classic rules that every train passenger should be aware of, and they are being addressed in a new behavior campaign from DSB. But among the familiar issues, there are a couple of new ones. Mobile phones are becoming an increasingly significant nuisance during train journeys, according to DSB’s head of communications:
»It has become fashionable to use the speakerphone, so everyone can hear. It’s very distracting because it’s super loud. Similarly, reels without headphones are just a backdrop of noise. It doesn’t happen all the time on our trains, but we all experience it, and it affects the shared travel experience«.
Talk of town: Jonas Vingegaard made Danish sports history in La Vuelta, which ended in chaos
Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard of Visma Lease a Bike and other riders pose during the 21st and last stage of La Vuelta a Espana cycling race.
Neither illness nor disruptive protests could stop Jonas Vingegaard from making sports history by becoming the first Danish winner of the Vuelta a España.
After Saturday’s crushing stage triumph, Sunday offered a chaotic ending, where pro-Palestinian demonstrations caused the stage to be interrupted and the podium ceremony to be entirely canceled.
Nevertheless, Jonas Vingegaard became the 14th cyclist to win both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, and cycling enthusiasts are already dreaming of the ultimate Grand Tour hat trick next year with a victory in the Giro d’Italia.
»Jonas has never raced the Giro, but i believe he’ll do it next year. The plan was for him to race it this year, but that decision was changed during the season, so it ended up being the Tour and the Vuelta instead«, assesses former cyclist and Giro stage winner Jesper Worre, who now serves as an expert for Eurosport.
Read full article here.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.