Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq’s new housing training program in Paamiut offers a path forward for residents without a place to live. Through this program, Heine Petersen and the other residents there have temporary housing.
The program includes staff who help residents learn how to live independently in their own homes and provide support to help them achieve that goal. The first residential training program was established in early 2024. The program in Paamiut was established in 2025 and now has six residents.
Heine Gets a Place of His Own
In Paamiut, the housing training program is located on the top floor of the town’s shelter, Ikinngut. Heine was assigned a room in the housing training program at the end of last year. He contacted the shelter at the beginning of that same year when he found himself without a place to stay. After spending some time as a resident at the shelter, he was offered a room upstairs in the housing training program.
Residents of Paamiut who use the shelter’s dormitory and warming room on the ground floor are expected to take care of the facility while they are there. If they demonstrate that they are capable of doing so, they may be offered a room on the first floor. The Ikinngut shelter has nine beds for men and six for women. The housing training program has eight rooms.
“This program provides our residents with immediate shelter and a clearer path to their own home. We can see that it makes a difference for them,” says Bea Mølgaard Lennert, director of employment and social services.
The program provides support
Ikinngut helps residents in the housing training program establish structure in their daily lives. This includes, among other things, the practical tasks involved in maintaining their own homes. Every week, they receive a schedule of tasks for the week. Heine already has that part well under control. In his room, his clothes are arranged in neat little piles. Everything has its own designated place.
The staff at the housing training programs are there to support residents so they can achieve their goal of moving into their own homes. They can also offer to act as advocates during meetings with public authorities, such as during discussions with case workers. Like many others in the housing training program, Heine receives help from the staff in managing his debt to the housing associations. For many, this is the biggest challenge when it comes to moving into their own home. A room in the housing training program costs 1,500 kroner a month. The staff works with the residents to develop a plan so they can pay both rent and settle any outstanding debt.
“It’s been helpful to have a plan for paying the bills. Overall, it’s good for me to have a place to stay now. And I feel safe here,” says Heine Petersen.
Expansion Based on Positive Experiences
Five of the eight rooms in Paamiut’s residential training program are currently occupied. Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq is working to expand the capacity of residential training programs throughout the municipality.
The municipality’s outreach team runs these programs. A municipal report from last year noted that they “have had positive experiences with the housing training programs” and that, in general, they find that “residents are satisfied with the programs.” The programs are part of the municipality’s homelessness sector plan and are currently offered in Nuuk, Paamiut, and Tasiilaq.
