Danish government to prioritise affordable housing for welfare workers

The Danish government will make it easier for municipalities and regions to provide subsidised service housing for welfare workers such as educators and healthcare assistants, according to its new policy platform.

Pedagogue Sabrina Skov-Hesleu, who currently rents a townhouse in Hvidovre near Copenhagen with her family, said home prices in the area have surged in recent years. “If we were to buy something ourselves, prices would have to drop drastically,” she told public broadcaster DR. Without affordable options, she added, her family would have to move as far as Ringsted or Næstved—far from their jobs and her children’s school.

The government’s policy platform, Flere boliger i hele Danmark (More homes across Denmark), outlines plans to increase housing supply and improve financing options. A key measure would allow municipalities and regions to offer “welfare housing”—subsidised units reserved for core welfare workers, with regulated rents or purchase prices below market rates.

In Allerød Municipality, north of Copenhagen, vice mayor Miki Dam Larsen (Social Democrats) welcomed the proposal, calling it “close to ecstatic” news for attracting staff. “If we want to recruit ordinary welfare workers, we need to make it easier for them to find housing in the municipality,” he said.

But Allerød’s mayor, Clara Rao (Venstre), expressed reservations. “I think single parents or divorced families who can’t afford a house or apartment should have the same opportunities,” she said. “Right now, I don’t believe in differential treatment.”

Attempts to reach Children, Elderly, and Housing Minister Jacob Mark (SF) for comment were unsuccessful.