"If we don't succeed with affordable housing, we won't get people to move here"
In the late spring of 2023, Olga Patrashku was strolling through Skellefteå’s city centre, when she received a life-changing call. "I was so thrilled that I just screamed out loud and started jumping in the street," says Patrashku.
Patrashku had just learnt that her application for affordable housing had been successful. Two months later, at just 20, the Ukrainian woman who had fled Russia’s invasion moved into a bright and spacious two-bedroom flat on the second floor of a newly built residential building in the Swedish city, complete with brand-new kitchen, washing machine, and a stunning view of the peaceful Sjungande Dalen, or Singing Valley.
Skellefteå’s municipality wants to build housing for people who might be priced out of the private property market and in places where private investors might rate the chance of a good return as too low.
"If we don't succeed with affordable housing, we won't get people to move here," says Gustaf Ulander, sustainability and mobility official at Skellefteå’s municipality. So Skellefteå's public housing company, Skelleftebostäder (Skebo), is building 743 energy-efficient homes, including the one for the young Ukrainian woman. With a SEK 800 million loan (around €70 million), the European Investment Bank is financing the city’s ambitious housing plan.
Affordable living in northern Sweden
When the Russian bombardments started in Odesa in March 2022, Patrashku fled to Kopparberg in southern Sweden. After a year, she moved north to Skellefteå to work as assistant nurse.
With a population of 76 542, Skellefteå has grown quickly over the past five years. By 2030, it’s expected to add 16 000 further people.
Finding accommodation wasn't easy for Patrashku. Properties were often taken before she could even visit them. The only option seemed to be living with other Ukrainian refugees, but Patrashku was determined to get a proper place. She signed onto Skebo’s housing list and started collecting “points”.
The number of points required to rent an apartment varies according to location and the applicant's place in the queue. While those with the greatest need, such as low-income individuals, homeless people, refugees and the disabled, are given priority, others can also qualify if there is enough housing available.
With 53 points, Patrashku qualified for an apartment in Bostäder, a picturesque rural area north of Skellefteå. "Support from the European Investment Bank has given us the opportunity to accelerate housing construction in places where the private sector wouldn’t see an immediate return on investment," says Ulander, the municipal official.
Skebo
Focus on students
More than half of the 743 homes will be for university students.
“Student housing is essential for our university campus to grow,” says Ulander. “And the campus itself is a key resource for the city.” Ulander’s 20-year-old daughter may consider applying for one of the new homes. She and her boyfriend are thinking about finding a place where they can settle down and plan a family.
The Skebo homes are being built according to Boverket’s regulations, the Swedish standards for construction, ensuring high quality, sustainability and safety. These homes feature rooftop solar panels, a ventilation system that recovers heat, and a wastewater recycling system that reuses energy for heating.
However, Skellefteå’s plan goes beyond just building energy-efficient homes. It provides safe and stable homes and creates communities where everyone has the chance to thrive.
That’s certainly how Olga Patrashku sees it.
In her apartment, friends are coming over for dinner. Patrashku is decorating her homemade dessert with blueberries she picked in the nearby Singing Valley woods. “I feel happy here,” she says. “It has worked out with both job and apartment, which feels incredible.”
