There is a demand for container homes in Tasiilaq

When you look at the area around the football field in Tasiilaq, it is difficult to avoid noticing the eight containers.

They were put into use in December. Although the municipal council had not yet approved the use of the containers as home training facilities, it was administratively decided to put them into use quickly.

The municipality was in an acute situation leading up to the winter, where several people needed a place to stay, Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq explains to Sermitsiaq.

– This winter there have been challenges in Tasiilaq with many homeless people without a place to stay. Therefore, we have had to act quickly with a temporary solution, says Bea Mølgaard Lennert, Head of Job and Social Services in Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq.

The Municipality's Committee for Economy and Business met on Tuesday, February 10. Among other things, the housing training offer in Tasiilaq was on the agenda, which we wrote about yesterday on Sermitsiaq. The committee approved the use of the containers as temporary housing for housing training, and the matter has now been forwarded to the municipal council.

There are already too few containers

There is a great need for the containers. The latest figures from the population register show that 56 citizens of Tasiilaq in 2025 are registered with an unknown address. This means that they are effectively homeless.

The municipality has noticed that the visibility of homeless people has been more significant this autumn, and therefore it has been necessary to act quickly.

– There are people who have really had nowhere to go this autumn. Now those who are completely homeless are living in the containers, says Bea Mølgaard Lennert.

After the containers were put into use, many have contacted the municipality. The inquiries have been reviewed and assessed, and around 30 people with great need are now on the waiting list.

– It is clear that many have noticed the containers, says Bea Mølgaard Lennert and continues:

– We hope that more will come.

However, not all homeless people are suitable for living in the containers.

– Some are better suited to a homeless shelter, but Tasiilaq does not have a shelter, says Bea Mølgaard Lennert.

Due to the lack of a shelter and the urgent need, the municipality has therefore had to rent a house for temporary accommodation for three people, she adds.

Strict requirements

Due to the many requirements for living in the containers, some people cannot be accommodated there.

Among the requirements are that one must have an unknown address, that one is registered on the waiting list for housing seekers, that one has an agreement on repayment if one owes the housing companies, and other criteria.

– This is a training ground, a step towards their future, and a means to get a permanent home, says Bea Mølgaard Lennert.

Those who move into the containers can live there for a maximum of two years, but the stay can be extended individually. The municipality's housing company, Iserit A/S, manages 410 homes in Tasiilaq. With 200 people on the waiting list, it is uncertain whether housing can be offered to everyone quickly.

Here, that part has been made more fluid and easy to read:

No new homes have been built in Tasiilaq for several years, but now construction has begun on 14 new homes. Together with the eight youth homes that were put into use last year, the municipality hopes that the waiting list for housing seekers will be shorter.

– The homes are finally starting to appear, after there has not been much construction in recent years, says Bea Mølgaard Lennert.