Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
165
long as a month in some cities.180 Services provided in the emergency shelters are generally
very basic, often just food and a bed, and lengthy stays in emergency accommodation can thus
be problematic. Moreover children were not enrolled in school due to the temporary nature of
their stay, and few structured activities were available to occupy their time. In Malmö, officials
found it necessary to house up to 150 or 200 children per building, nearly ten times as many
as they might normally place in a single child care center.181
As flows have slowed, attention is now turning to the challenge of ensuring that those who
receive protection find permanent housing that will facilitate, rather than hinder, their long-
term integration in Sweden. Of particular concern is the fact that housing tends to be most
difficult to find in the larger municipalities where strong economies mean refugees would
have the best chances of finding employment. According to a report commissioned by the
National Audit Office, 85 percent of employment growth in Sweden from 2010 to 2013
occurred in or near major cities.182 Yet urban areas are also more likely than suburban or rural
municipalities to report housing shortages, and until 2015, few large municipalities opted to
receive recognized refugees through the assigned settlement system.183
There is thus a tension for migration authorities and refugees themselves between the need to
find refugees housing quickly and the need to facilitate self-sufficiency. Anxious to move to
locations with better economic prospects, many refugees opt to find their own housing rather
than using the services of the Migration Agency and Employment service (55 percent of
protection beneficiaries chose to settle without assistance in 2014).184 The extremely tight
rental market, however, most often forces those who settle on their own to enter the
secondary housing market where they are vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous
landlords (who may charge exorbitant rent prices) and are subjected to cramped or even
dangerous living conditions.185 Poor housing conditions can contribute to other problems,
such as poor performance in school or training, additional mental and psychological stress,
and in the worst cases could even have negative consequences for individuals’ physical health.
Moreover, protection beneficiaries who find their own housing often have difficulty obtaining
long-term housing solutions, often living with friends and relatives; self-settlers thus tend to
move more frequently and are at a higher risk of homeless, creating additional psychological
stress and contributing to difficulties accessing services.186
City authorities have also expressed concern that the self-settlement system contributes to
residential segregation and social isolation, as refugees tend to move to neighborhoods and
areas with large existing migrant-background populations.187 Both Migration Agency officials
and municipal authorities have suggested that asylum seekers and protection beneficiaries
180 Interview with Christina Grönberg, Social Development Unit, and Anna Mattsson, Stockholm Municipal Government,
April 13, 2016; and interview with Ulrika Wickman, Head of the Social Welfare Department, Lene Cordes, Unit for Children
and Families, Tarek Borg, Unit for Reception of Unaccompanied Minors, Malmö Municipal Government, April 14, 2016.
181 Interview with Ulrika Wickman, Head of the Social Welfare Department, Lene Cordes, Unit for Children and Families,
Tarek Borg, Unit for Reception of Unaccompanied Minors, Malmö Municipal Government, April 14, 2016.
182 Riksrevisionen, Nyanländas etablering– är statens insatser effektiva?
183 Boverket, Boendesituationen för nyanlända: Slutrapport, Report No. 2015:40, (Karlskrona: Boverket, 2015),
184 Boverket, Boendesituationen för nyanlända: Slutrapport
185 Boverket, Boendesituationen för nyanlända: Slutrapport Riksrevisionen, Nyanländas etablering– är statens insatser
effektiva?
186 Boverket, Boendesituationen för nyanlända: Slutrapport
187 Interview with Anne Öster and Annelie Rostedt, Work and Social Affairs Office, Stockholm County Administrative Board,
April 12, 2016