Eviction of families with children

The plan states that the best interests of the child shall come first and that needs, not ability to pay, shall be decisive in social services. Evicting a family with children solely for unpaid rent or before adequate housing exists contradicts both these commitments, as does the plan's demand to strengthen people's right to secure housing. Zero tolerance for child homelessness is therefore the plan's position.

• children's best interests firstdecisive»Vänsterpartiets politik ska utformas så att barnens bästa kommer i första rummet.« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party's policy shall be designed so that the best interests of children come first.”
• needs before ability to pay»Behoven, inte betalningsförmågan ska vara avgörande, vilket gäller alla boende i Sverige oavsett om man har uppehållstillstånd.« (party programme ↗)“Needs, not ability to pay, shall be decisive, which applies to all residents in Sweden regardless of whether they have a residence permit.”
• right to secure housing»Så bygger vi samhället och stärker människors rätt till en trygg bostad, samtidigt som vi lägger grunden för ett hållbart klimatsmart samhälle.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Thus we build society and strengthen people's right to secure housing, while laying the foundation for a sustainable climate-smart society.”
• children cannot defend themselves»Barn har specifika behov, men de kan inte alltid uttrycka dem. Lika lite kan de föra sin egen talan för att stoppa kränkningar de utsätts för.« (party programme ↗)“Children have specific needs, but they cannot always express them. Nor can they advocate for themselves to stop the abuse they are subjected to.”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation around 10–12 percent and policy rate 3.0 percent — Strains tenants' ability to pay and makes protection against eviction of families with children more acute than the plan foresaw.

The party programme sees housing as a social right and housing provision as a societal responsibility, and requires that the best interests of children are considered in all decisions in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Not evicting a family with children before they have a proper alternative housing follows from these commitments, as does the requirement to combat overcrowding. However, eviction rules are not explicitly addressed.

• best interests of the child in all decisionsdecisive»Alla barn ska ha rätt till en trygg uppväxt i enlighet med FN:s barnkonvention. Barnens« (party programme ↗)“All children shall have the right to a safe upbringing in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children's”
• housing as a social right»socialdemokrater ser bostaden som en social rättighet och bostadspolitiken som en del av« (party programme ↗)“Social Democrats see housing as a social right and housing policy as part of”
• societal housing responsibility»Därför anser vi att det är ett samhälleligt ansvar att trygga« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, we believe it is a societal responsibility to secure”
• combated overcrowding»Boende- och upplåtelseformer ska vara blandade. Trångboddheten ska bekämpas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Housing and tenure forms shall be mixed. Overcrowding must be combated.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that everyone has the right to housing, wishes to reduce homelessness through a national strategy and a housing foundation that finances housing for those lacking secure housing, and that no child shall grow up in poverty. That families with children shall not be evicted for unpaid rent or without adequate alternative housing follows directly from these commitments.

• reduced homelessnessdecisive»minska hemlösheten, genom en nationell strategi som på riktigt minskar hemlösheten och en bostadsstiftelse som finansierar en bostad för dem som inte har ett tryggt boende.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“reduce homelessness, through a national strategy that genuinely reduces homelessness and a housing foundation that finances housing for those who do not have secure housing.”
• housing as a right»Alla har rätt till en bostad.« (party programme ↗)“Everyone has the right to housing.”
• no child poverty»I det nya gröna folkhemmet ska inte ett enda barn växa upp i fattigdom« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In the new green people's home not a single child shall grow up in poverty”
• support to vulnerable families with children»Det behövs en politik som ger ökade resurser till de sämst ställda familjerna för att ge alla barn trygghet och minska klyftorna i Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“There is a need for a policy that provides increased resources to the worst-off families to give all children security and reduce inequality in Sweden.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan builds the rental market on strong property rights and a market with mobility and low thresholds, and contains no commitment to limit the ability to terminate a tenant who does not pay. A statutory ban on evicting families with children without adequate alternative housing goes further than the plan provides support for. That housing is a basic need and the child's rights shall be protected points in the opposite direction, which is why the assessment is uncertain.

• strong property rightsdecisive»Äganderätten är central för ett samhälle där människor kan förverkliga sig själva och sina drömmar.« (party programme ↗)“Property rights are central to a society where people can realize themselves and their dreams.”
• functioning housing market»präglas av rörlighet, låga trösklar, långsiktighet och mångfald.« (party programme ↗)“characterized by mobility, low thresholds, long-term thinking and diversity.”
• housing as basic need»Människor har en rad grundläggande behov: mat, kläder, boende och vård.« (party programme ↗)“People have a range of basic needs: food, clothing, housing and care.”
• child's rights»Särskilt viktigt är att värna varje barns rätt att bli respekterad och att bli sedd för den man är.« (party programme ↗)“It is particularly important to protect every child's right to be respected and to be seen for who they are.”

The party programme explicitly requires that preventive work against eviction, especially of families with children, is strengthened and establishes that nobody should have to live in homelessness. The plan also gives the state increased responsibility for housing to homeless with a clear focus on children, which lies close to the demand that no family with children is evicted without a fully adequate alternative. The strong tenancy protection the plan protects points in the same direction.

• eviction prevention for families with childrendecisive»Det förebyggande arbetet mot vräkning, särskilt av barnfamiljer, behöver stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Preventive work against eviction, especially of families with children, needs to be strengthened.”
• nobody shall be homeless»I ett välfärdssamhälle som Sverige borde ingen behöva leva i hemlöshet.« (party programme ↗)“In a welfare society like Sweden nobody should have to live in homelessness.”
• housing for homeless children»för att finansiera bostäder för hem- och bostadslösa med ett tydligt fokus på barn« (party programme ↗)“to finance housing for homeless and housing-less with a clear focus on children”
• strong tenancy protection»vi kombinera ett starkt besittningsskydd med att hyran i nybyggda hyresrätter ska få avtalas fritt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“we combine a strong tenancy protection with that rent in newly built rental apartments shall be freely agreed”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that children have a right to a secure upbringing environment and that a good housing environment is of greatest importance not least for children and young people, and that the municipality should support the family socially and economically when it fails. Statutory possession protection must exist. Zero tolerance for child homelessness and protection against eviction before the family has adequate housing thus follow from the plan's child perspective.

• secure upbringing environmentdecisive»Barn har rätt till en trygg uppväxtmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Children have a right to a secure upbringing environment.”
• good housing environment for children»för barn och unga är en god boendemiljö av största vikt.« (party programme ↗)“for children and young people, a good housing environment is of greatest importance.”
• municipal support when the family needs it»kommunens uppgift att socialt och ekonomiskt stödja familjen att kunna utföra sina uppgifter och skyldigheter.« (party programme ↗)“the municipality's task to socially and economically support the family in carrying out their tasks and responsibilities.”
• possession protection»Ett lagstadgat besittningsskydd ska finnas.« (party programme ↗)“Statutory possession protection must exist.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan gives property rights strong protection and sees the legal system's role as upholding entered contracts, and public welfare shall never be demand-free. A prohibition on evicting a family with children for unpaid rent would put the rental contract out of effect. The plan's own zero vision is moreover limited to homelessness among pensioners.

• strong property rightsdecisive»Äganderätten och näringsfriheten ska ha ett starkt skydd i« (party programme ↗)“Property rights and freedom of enterprise shall have strong protection in”
• contracts must be upheld»För att lösa tvister, upprätthålla kontrakt, och för« (party programme ↗)“To resolve disputes, uphold contracts, and for”
• demand-based welfare»Den offentliga välfärden får aldrig vara kravlös.« (party programme ↗)“Public welfare must never be demand-free.”
• limited zero vision for homelessness»Införa en nollvision för hemlöshet bland pensionärer och öka den statliga finansieringen av boendestöd« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a zero vision for homelessness among pensioners and increase state funding for housing support”

The plan makes combating homelessness a prioritised social issue and states that children's best interests shall always be considered and be in focus when families are struggling. That speaks for the counter-proposal's requirement for zero tolerance against child homelessness and against families with children being evicted without adequate alternative housing. The plan at the same time emphasises the link between rights and duties, which is why confidence is low.

• combat homelessnessdecisive»Att bekämpa hemlöshet är en prioriterad social fråga för Sverigedemokraterna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To combat homelessness is a prioritised social issue for Sweden Democrats.”
• the child's best interests»Att barnets bästa alltid ska beaktas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That the child's best interests shall always be considered”
• protect children in vulnerable families»I familjer som på olika sätt har det svårt är det barnen som hamnar i kläm och kan fara illa därför måste också barnens bästa stå i fokus i familjepolitiken.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In families that are struggling in various ways it is the children who end up in the lurch and can come to harm, therefore children's best interests must also be in focus in family policy.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.