Long waiting list for housing in Tasiilaq
Lasarus Mikaelsen is training to be a nutritionist. He has been waiting for seven years to get a place to live in Tasiilaq. Now he fears that he will have to leave the city if he cannot find a place to live before he finishes his studies.
The queue to get a house in Tasiilaq is long. Really long.
Right now, 195 people are waiting to get a place to live. This is according to a report from Iserit, which manages public housing in Tasiilaq. One of those waiting is Lasarus Mikaelsen, who has been on the waiting list for seven years. Right now, he is living in a dormitory until the end of August, when he will graduate as a nutrition assistant.
Where he will live after he finishes his studies is unknown.
– It’s frustrating because it’s difficult to find housing in Tasiilaq, he says.
In May, citizens of Tasiilaq demonstrated against the long waiting lists. More than 600 people took to the streets, among other things demanding a solution to the serious housing shortage.
Why so many people in line?
KNR has asked Iserit A/S why the waiting lists are so long.
In a written response they write:
–Of course, there are more registered people in Tasiilaq, because the majority of people in East Greenland live there, and therefore there are more registered people in Tasiilaq than in the settlements. When you look at the number of settlements and towns, the numbers give an idea of how many are registered in each place.
So many people are on the waiting list in Sermersooq Municipality
Number of registered:
- Tasiilaq: 195Nuuk: 2.476Paamiut: 48Ittoqqortoormiit: 15
Jobs with housing
Due to the severe shortage of staff housing in Tasiilaq, Lasarus Mikaelsen is unsure whether he can stay in the city. If he cannot get a position with staff housing in Tasiilaq, he will be forced to move, he says,
– If I don’t get a place to live in Tasiilaq, I will have to look for a job in West Greenland as a nutrition assistant, says Lasarus Mikaelsen, adding,
–I feel very insecure about the situation, because I would rather stay where I am, says Lasarus Mikaelsen.
Mysterious error
Lasarus Mikaelsen says that last year he was told by Iserit A/S that he was number 21 in the queue for a 2-bedroom apartment.
On May 19th of this year, he asked where he was on the waiting list. On May 21st, Iserit A/S informed him that he was number 307.
Lazarus asked for an explanation of how he was moved from number 21 to number 307.
To this, Iserit A/S responded that his status in the queue had been automatically put on hold because he did not respond to a housing offer on November 7, 2023.
The mysterious thing about it is that even though Iserit assured Lazarus that his place in the queue would not be changed from number 21 because of it, he was still moved to number 307.
Lazarus regained his place when he confirmed his active status in the queue.
KNR has asked for an explanation of the mysterious error from Iserit A/S, but was told that they cannot answer questions that concern individuals.
An important point in the Sermersooq coalition agreement
The municipal council is also aware of the housing shortage in Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq, as it is something that has been going on for a long time.
The coalition agreement between Inuit Ataqatigiit and Democrats in the municipal council of Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq states that they are looking for alternative solutions to the problem. For example, it can be modular housing or container housing.
KNR has attempted to get an interview with the deputy mayor of Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq, Justus Hansen, to hear about the municipality’s plans to solve the housing shortage in Tasiilaq, but it has not been possible before the deadline.
It is still uncertain whether Lazarus will get a place to live or will have to move.
