rossrights
03-19-2005, 12:40 AM
Homelessness:
Under any Name…
Homelessness comes in many different forms. This is something that I did not even consider before recently finding myself being called “homeless” for the first time. For six months I have been sleeping on friends’ sofas, staying in rooms while people have been away (with permission!), using a room between renters, and living out of an office.
During all this time I was looking for an apartment here in Oslo, the closest realistic offer being a two by three meter bedroom with shared kitchen, shower and toilet for just over twenty-two thousand Kr. per year. I only make just over fifty thousand! And I’m still not sure whether six square meters qualifies as a “home” or not… Anyway, that is definitely not enough space when my two children come to stay with me – which is four days out of every fourteen if the current agreement with their mother holds true.
Three months ago I moved into a two room apartment in a block of flats on the northern outskirts of Oslo. I finally had a home! Or at least so I thought… Though government owned, the house that I and fifty or so others live in is being sold out from under us. The sale is to raise funds for the refurbishment of other communal buildings, but really it’s just the way the system works. The standard of living is being raised and those not on the train, are being left behind. In practical terms this means that some must do without for the government to maintain its appearance of growth within the housing market. Here are the facts…
The system is against us. The rights afforded under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are blatantly contravened, in this case article 25 which states that all people deserve adequate housing, food and clothing. The police are against us. In January this year I was harassed and abused by two officers just ten meters from my front door. The politicians are against us. They practice their political rhetoric and put a stop to any tough questions, even when those questions are asked at a press conference supposedly dealing with the issues of homelessness!
It is said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and this being the case, today’s Norwegian society has a way to go in order to fortify its standing as a practicing signatory on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Progress in this field is underway as we repeatedly bring up the issue in local, national and international forums. There is now a chance that homelessness in all its forms will be addressed and not simply swept under the carpet as has been the case for so long now.
Stand up, Move in.
Ross ;)
Under any Name…
Homelessness comes in many different forms. This is something that I did not even consider before recently finding myself being called “homeless” for the first time. For six months I have been sleeping on friends’ sofas, staying in rooms while people have been away (with permission!), using a room between renters, and living out of an office.
During all this time I was looking for an apartment here in Oslo, the closest realistic offer being a two by three meter bedroom with shared kitchen, shower and toilet for just over twenty-two thousand Kr. per year. I only make just over fifty thousand! And I’m still not sure whether six square meters qualifies as a “home” or not… Anyway, that is definitely not enough space when my two children come to stay with me – which is four days out of every fourteen if the current agreement with their mother holds true.
Three months ago I moved into a two room apartment in a block of flats on the northern outskirts of Oslo. I finally had a home! Or at least so I thought… Though government owned, the house that I and fifty or so others live in is being sold out from under us. The sale is to raise funds for the refurbishment of other communal buildings, but really it’s just the way the system works. The standard of living is being raised and those not on the train, are being left behind. In practical terms this means that some must do without for the government to maintain its appearance of growth within the housing market. Here are the facts…
The system is against us. The rights afforded under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are blatantly contravened, in this case article 25 which states that all people deserve adequate housing, food and clothing. The police are against us. In January this year I was harassed and abused by two officers just ten meters from my front door. The politicians are against us. They practice their political rhetoric and put a stop to any tough questions, even when those questions are asked at a press conference supposedly dealing with the issues of homelessness!
It is said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and this being the case, today’s Norwegian society has a way to go in order to fortify its standing as a practicing signatory on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Progress in this field is underway as we repeatedly bring up the issue in local, national and international forums. There is now a chance that homelessness in all its forms will be addressed and not simply swept under the carpet as has been the case for so long now.
Stand up, Move in.
Ross ;)