Swedish Politician Provides Sleeping Bags Instead of Legislation

by Josie Raymond · 2010-02-03 16:18:00 UTC
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Oh brother. A well-meaning member of parliament in Stockholm, Sweden is donating sleeping bags for the homeless and encouraging her colleagues to do the same. The key words here are "member of parliament." If your average everyday citizens were looking for ways to help, I'd applaud them. (I'd also suggest that they call local shelters and outreach organizations to be sure that sleeping bags are in fact what people need.) But for a person in power, a person with real influence over the municipality's purse strings, to think either "this is the best I can do" OR "these people choose to be homeless so I will make it more comfortable for them," well, that's not very sound leadership.

MP Annelie Enochson of the Christian Democrats party, who donated sleeping bags to a church that is accommodating overflow from the city's shelters, told a local newspaper, "It is a worthy cause for us MPs to help out with whatever we can." Whatever you can? How about legislation to provide affordable housing, drug counseling and job training? Sweden does a lot of things right, but there are still an estimated 18,000 homeless in the country of nine million.

Rolf Nilsson, who heads the Stockholm homeless association, said he would prefer meaningful change to bedding from a politician. "[Donating sleeping bags] shows an awful view of human beings, as if we're not worth any more," he said.

I have a feeling that Stockholm would find a good sister city in Denver, where Mayor John Hickenlooper recently had city employees wear pajamas to work to show solidarity with the homeless. You know, the homeless who lounge around in their pajamas in their sleeping bags all day.

Photo credit: scarletfawth

Josie Raymond is a Change.org editor who has reported from the streets of the South Bronx, written for several magazines that folded (not her fault) and fixed thousands of typos.
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