72 PERSPECTIVES ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS | VOL 41 | 2023 nians started migrating to Denmark. The judge ruled that the man was aggressive and confrontational in his begging, impeding sidewalks with his bags and directly addressing pedestrians. This ruling came as a shock after a similar case, Lacatus v. Switzerland, ended in the opposite ruling earlier that year. Switzerland tried to sentence a Romanian woman to five days in prison after she was unable to pay the €500 fine for begging. The Human Rights Court in Strasburg found that Switzerland violated articles 8 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Danish Ministry of Justice claimed the Danish law differed from Switzerland’s and therefore was not a breach of human rights (Bendixen, 2021). These examples highlight what many homelessness people in Denmark face daily. The bans on insecurity camps and street begging affect those who do not have stable access to shelter. These are also the people hardest to track, making it difficult to find accurate data on the actual effect of these bans. Nonetheless, on any given night, the count of individuals “sleeping rough” or without any shelter at all may often reach 2000. Unfortunately, the new policing laws designed to “clean up” the streets in order to protect the general citizenry actually push the homeless ever further away from Denmark’s social welfare system, perpetuating the cycle of homelessness. Access to shelters and resources In another effort to “clean up” the streets, Denmark’s homeless policies emphasize shelters and expanded funding to increase capacity and comfort; however, the policies do not address the barriers to entering shelters. There are two main types of shelters: standard shelters and emergency/night shelters. A standard shelter offers a range of services and facilities depending on its capacity. Older, larger shelters, often in bigger cities, are run down and house 50 to 90 people suffering from complex social and health problems. In smaller towns, where capacity is lower and upkeep is easier, shelters offer 24-hour, single-assignment rooming, much like a hotel. These nicer shelters can offer services from dentists and nurses to workplace units where residents can learn new skills and earn money to help them create a stable life outside the shelter. The Act on Social Services requires municipalities to ensure that shelters always have room to house the homeless; however, section 3 of this act limits the people who benefit from these services to “any person who is lawfully staying in Denmark.” Thus, only people who have permanent resident permits can legally be offered beds and services in shelters receiving funds under the act (Brandt, 2019). This leaves the many homeless without residency permits fighting for spots within the emergency shelters. These shelters hold 100 to 300 beds depending on location. Originally designed for people too difficult to house in standard shelters, night shelters are now predominately populated by migrants; they are open to anyone and not subject to the Act on Social Services. However, with no funding from the act, they are often short staffed and lack amenities other shelters provide. To make the most of funding they do receive from the municipality, region, or private foundations, these shelters cram as many mattresses as possible on the floor. Even so, capacity is not nearly enough to satisfy demand, leaving migrants to return to the streets, where they then risk being charged or jailed for sleeping rough or begging (Brandt, 2019). Nonprofits Nonprofit organizations have heavily advocated for more support and investigation into Denmark’s homeless problem. These organizations campaign for funding and spread awareness of the growing homelessness problem, hoping to develop initiatives that reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness. Organizations such as the Oak Foundation work to fill the gaps the national policies do not fill. This foundation started in Sweden in 1983 and made early grants to Denmark to support various causes before creating a full administrative office in Denmark that now works to improve the lives of socially vulnerable groups, with specific initiatives toward homeless. Under grants provided by the Oak Foundation, the Danish Red Cross cares for the homeless without discrimination or barriers. The Copenhagen Red Cross shelter provides health and dental care along with physiotherapy to any migrant regardless of residency status. The Danish Red Cross also targets a key sector of homelessness: youth. Its Home to You program provides young adults ages 18 to 29 with three to six months of housing with a family, fostering stability and care that can help youth rebuild and restart their lives before they end up in the cycle of homelessness (Fernandez, 2022). Similarly, Café Klare, another partner of the Oak Foundation, provides shelter and care for women. It estimates that about 90% of its clientele suffers from some form of mental health issues. Therefore, Café Klare works closely with social workers, not only to find the women permanent places to stay but also to get the help they need to maintain stable lifestyles. A lot of homeless people do not have family or friends to turn to, so the Red Cross and Café Klare emphasize building relationships and contacts
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