Neighbors Sandra Pereira and Fredrik Erlandsson in Krylbo, Avesta municipality, have set up a safe indoor weekend hangout for local children. The initiative addresses minor disturbances and insecurity outdoors, where restless kids linger due to cramped housing. One in three children in Swedish multi-family homes lives overcrowded, per SCB statistics.
In Krylbo, children in cramped multi-family apartments previously hung out outdoors, leading to issues like overturned trash cans, broken apple tree branches, and fired rockets. Neighbors Sandra Pereira and Fredrik Erlandsson observed open drug dealing on the street.
They spoke with the children, who said they were restless with nothing proper to do. “It was noticeable that they were restless and had nothing sensible to do,” says Sandra Pereira.
Together, they created a safe indoor space for weekend hangouts, away from the unsafe environment. The effort features in SVT's 'Så löste jag det' series.
SCB 2022 data shows nearly 17 percent of Sweden's population, or 744,000 people, lives overcrowded. It affects 258,000 children in multi-family homes, defined as more than two people per bedroom.