When Alqumit Alhamad came to Sweden from the war in Syria three years ago, he was placed on a government accommodation provided in Surahammar, Västmanland, sweden.
There was, admittedly, LGBT-certified, but as a gay man, I felt still exposed. It was a lot of fights and harassment, almost at home in Raqqa – ”same shit, different smell,” he says.
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he is in contact with the Refugees Welcome Housing Sweden which was formed during the refugee crisis in the autumn of 2015. The association is working with to develop alternative housing solutions to the new arrivals, mainly by individuals who want to open up their homes.
thus had Alqumit Alhamad opportunity to live with a family outside of skåne Skurup.
” I stayed with them for a year and eight months. It gave me a great opportunity to get into the Swedish society and to learn everything, from social codes to waste, ” he says.
Kajsa Sörman, chairman of the association of Refugees Welcome Housing Sweden, mean that discussions about overcrowding and the other downsides of the ebo-law, not forgetting the positive aspects.
” you know someone already when you come here, perhaps a relative or friend, it gives security and support also is very important when you are in these situations.
to be able to arrange private housing solutions for the new arrivals is important for many reasons.
– There is a housing shortage in Sweden, but many people also live much larger than what they need. To borrow or to rent out a room to a fair price can have huge positive effects both for himself, the man rent it out to and for the society at large.
today, Alqumit Alhamad a tenancy agreement on an apartment in central Malmö. He is studying at the community college, works part-time at a company in Kävlinge and have started their own business in the field of visual communication.
” None of this would have happened if I had been forced to stay in flyktinganläggningen. It had at least not gone just as fast. To get to know an american family who shared their social networks has meant everything.
the point to limit the ebo-law in its current form.
Had I been forced to stay at the reception centre, I had certainly done it. But I think it will be more difficult for refugees to integrate and become a part of Swedish society, if the ebo and the possibility to obtain own accommodation disappears, ” he says.
