'It’s Like Family': the Swedish Housing Experiment - Unit 10

C1 Advanced · Gapped Text · Ready for C1 Advanced 4th Edition Workbook, Macmillan Education

You are going to read a newspaper article. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A–G the one which fits each gap (1–6). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

‘It’s Like Family’: the Swedish Housing Experiment Designed to Cure Loneliness

Just as importantly, there’s plenty of space. There’s a gym, yoga room, a library and a large communal kitchen on every floor. The arts-and-crafts studio is stuffed with creative paraphernalia, while the residents themselves turned one space into a workshop, complete with tools and equipment.

‘We hope that people see that youngsters from other countries are not to be feared and that you can have totally normal relationships between youngsters, the elderly and other people,’ says Curovic of Sällbo’s ultimate goal. ‘We want that to spread to society in general and increase the willingness to integrate. And it’s starting to happen.’

The project is administered by Helsingsborgshem, a not-for-profit housing company, and stems from an idea they had in 2016 amid concern about loneliness among older groups. Swedes are fiercely independent – young people start living alone earlier than anywhere in Europe – a trait that continues into old age, with many elderly people opting to remain in their own homes.

The two are referring to their new home, Sällbo, a radical experiment in multigenerational living in Helsingborg, a small port city in southern Sweden. Its name combines the Swedish words for companionship (sällskap) and living (bo), and neatly encapsulates the project’s goals – to combat loneliness and promote social cohesion by giving residents incentives, and the spaces, for productive interaction.

Of course, intergenerational living carries the risk of some tensions breaking out but, so far, they have been minimal. Helsingsborgshem appointed a full-time ‘host’ to ‘feel the atmosphere and deflate tension,’ says Curovic – but they’ve had precious little to do. Indeed, mutual respect and understanding have flourished.

As a result, Sällbo has attracted attention both within Sweden and internationally. Three municipalities are working on directly implementing the concept, and many more are considering similar ideas. A delegation from Canada visited in February, while others from Italy, Germany and South Korea have been in touch regarding study missions.

So a plan was hatched to mix the two, with younger Swedish people acting ‘as a bridge’. ‘They are closer in age to the refugees, but closer in terms of culture and language to the older people,’ says Curovic. ‘We hoped they would bring them together.’

Sällbo consists of 51 apartments spread over four floors of a refurbished retirement home. More than half of the 72 residents are in their 70s, like Ahlsten and Bacharach; the rest are aged 18–25. All were selected after an extensive interview process to ensure a mix of personalities, backgrounds and values, and all had to sign a contract promising to spend at least two hours a week socialising with their neighbours.

Yet a sense of isolation poses a real danger to health and remains prevalent among retirees. ‘Our research showed that elderly people were feeling isolated from society and were very lonely in their everyday life,’ says Dragana Curovic, the project manager at Sällbo. ‘They were only mixing with others of the same age.’ At the same time, the 2015 refugee crisis meant organisations like Helsingsborgshem were under pressure to house growing numbers of people who were struggling to integrate with – and win acceptance from – Swedish society.

Although less than a year old, the arrangement seems to be working for young and old. Ahlsten and Bacharach have been cooking communal dinners, doing repairs and odd jobs, and driving people around. In return, the younger residents help with modern technology and social media. ‘It’s a real community,’ says Ahlsten, ‘and the mix of people works very well.’ Bacharach agrees. Since moving in, he’s joined the gardening group, the Sunday night movie club and learnt to play canasta.

Even the main lounge on the ground floor is a multifunctional space, with hi-fi equipment, table football and a piano, donated by one of the residents so that ‘everyone can experience its joy’. Ali Soroush, 21, an Afghan refugee, arrived in 2015. He says Sällbo reminds him of his own culture, with people – particularly different generations – living and socialising together and helping each other out. ‘The whole building is like a family,’ he says.

But while all Sällbo residents feel the responsibility to moderate their behaviour and be more tolerant of others, Isabel Tomak-Eriksson, a young Swedish resident, says it’s far from boring. There are parties all the time – every weekend it’s someone’s birthday or some celebration. With loneliness on the rise and considered a genuine health risk, projects such as Sällbo are seen increasingly as a holistic solution to isolation – including the isolation of entire groups, such as refugees, from the rest of society.

Soroush has seen this change first-hand. ‘In my old apartment building, even after one and half years, I didn’t know any of my neighbours,’ he says. ‘But here, from day one, you know everyone. It feels like home.’

Erik Ahlsten is unequivocal. ‘This is the best accommodation I’ve ever had.’ His friend and neighbour Manfred Bacharach is equally enthusiastic. ‘I really like this way of living,’ he says. ‘It’s very much my cup of tea.’ ___ Sällbo consists of 51 apartments spread over four floors of a refurbished retirement home. More than half of the 72 residents are in their 70s, like Ahlsten and Bacharach; the rest are aged 18–25. All were selected after an extensive interview process to ensure a mix of personalities, backgrounds and values, and all had to sign a contract promising to spend at least two hours a week socialising with their neighbours. ___ Yet a sense of isolation poses a real danger to health and remains prevalent among retirees. ‘Our research showed that elderly people were feeling isolated from society and were very lonely in their everyday life,’ says Dragana Curovic, the project manager at Sällbo. ‘They were only mixing with others of the same age.’ At the same time, the 2015 refugee crisis meant organisations like Helsingsborgshem were under pressure to house growing numbers of people who were struggling to integrate with – and win acceptance from – Swedish society. ___ Although less than a year old, the arrangement seems to be working for young and old. Ahlsten and Bacharach have been cooking communal dinners, doing repairs and odd jobs, and driving people around. In return, the younger residents help with modern technology and social media. ‘It’s a real community,’ says Ahlsten, ‘and the mix of people works very well.’ Bacharach agrees. Since moving in, he’s joined the gardening group, the Sunday night movie club and learnt to play canasta. ___ Even the main lounge on the ground floor is a multifunctional space, with hi-fi equipment, table football and a piano, donated by one of the residents so that ‘everyone can experience its joy’. Ali Soroush, 21, an Afghan refugee, arrived in 2015. He says Sällbo reminds him of his own culture, with people – particularly different generations – living and socialising together and helping each other out. ‘The whole building is like a family,’ he says. ___ But while all Sällbo residents feel the responsibility to moderate their behaviour and be more tolerant of others, Isabel Tomak-Eriksson, a young Swedish resident, says it’s far from boring. There are parties all the time – every weekend it’s someone’s birthday or some celebration. With loneliness on the rise and considered a genuine health risk, projects such as Sällbo are seen increasingly as a holistic solution to isolation – including the isolation of entire groups, such as refugees, from the rest of society. ___ Soroush has seen this change first-hand. ‘In my old apartment building, even after one and half years, I didn’t know any of my neighbours,’ he says. ‘But here, from day one, you know everyone. It feels like home.’

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