Mayor’s Statement Clashes with Family Reality in Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq
In an open letter addressed to Inatsisartut, Avaaraq Olsen, the mayor of Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq, asserted that children are not removed from their homes due to their parents’ lack of housing. Her statements were made during a discussion about the challenging circumstances faced by vulnerable children and families, where she contended that the debate did not accurately reflect the local reality.
“We want to clarify that no children are placed outside their homes merely due to housing or financial issues. Such placements are always guided by a thorough professional evaluation of the child’s welfare and safety,” Olsen emphasized in her writings.
Yet, this perspective is at odds with the observations from the Child and Family Administration in the same kommune. According to their recent initiatives, the administration is actively working to bring back children from residential institutions or foster care arrangements that were primarily necessitated by parental homelessness. “Our focus is to prevent children from being uprooted due to structural issues like homelessness and to uphold their right to family life,” the administration stated.
In light of these conflicting narratives, KNR sought a comment from Mayor Olsen regarding the discrepancies. However, she declined to provide further insight into the matter.
A Family’s Plea for Assistance
While the mayor has publicly maintained that housing issues don’t lead to child placements, families like that of Bibi Knudsen paint a different picture. Bibi and her husband are the proud parents of four children aged 16, 11, nine, and seven, and they were recently faced with a dire housing crisis.
Living in an apartment rented from INI A/S in Nuuk, the family found themselves uprooted when their landlord—prohibited from subletting—terminated their lease. With nowhere else to turn, they reached out to Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq for assistance, hoping to find relief as parents.
To their dismay, they were informed that help would not be offered because they did not exhibit what the municipality categorized as “social problems.” “Our first interaction was disheartening,” Bibi recounted. “We were asked if we were alcoholics or drug addicts. When we said no, they told us they couldn’t help us.”
Both Bibi and her husband are employed and financially capable of securing housing, yet the scarcity of available homes left them stranded. They initially contacted the municipality’s social services in hopes of securing social housing but received a stark response: help was not an option. “When I inquired about what would happen if my children had nowhere to live, their reply was disheartening—they could assist by placing the children outside the home,” Bibi explained.
A Difficult Decision to Relocate
Faced with the prospect of having their children placed in care, Bibi and her husband made a poignant decision: they would leave Nuuk altogether. The family has since relocated to Qaqortoq in southern Greenland.
“My heart wouldn’t let me accept the thought of my children being placed in an institution,” Bibi reflected. “Knowing the situation in Nuuk, we chose to return to our roots. We immediately began searching for accommodation in Qaqortoq and thankfully found a place.”
Bibi’s experience highlights a troubling reality, one that raises questions not just about public policy but about the lived experiences of families trying to navigate a complex system in search of stability and support.