Danish municipality lets marginalised residents live without intervention in dedicated street

A quiet 250-metre street in the eastern Jutland town of Grenaa has become a rare municipal experiment where 24 vulnerable residents—most of them men struggling with long-term alcoholism—are allowed to live without pressure to change, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

Locally known simply as Gaden (The Street), Fredensgade’s low red-brick houses now operate under an unusual policy by Norddjurs Municipality: residents receive support if they seek it, but face no mandatory rehabilitation, activation programmes, or sobriety demands. Instead, the focus is on harm reduction, dignity, and incremental personal goals—whether that means reducing alcohol intake, managing health issues, or simply maintaining a roof over their heads.

Social workers, a dedicated vice-caretaker, healthcare assistants, and even a priest provide on-site assistance, while a local GP, Jannik Falhof, makes monthly rounds to check on those willing to be seen. “People live like this all over, but here it’s concentrated,” Falhof told DR. “That gives us a better chance to keep an eye on them.” His visits have caught undiagnosed conditions like pneumonia in residents who rarely seek medical care on their own.

The approach balances “support, motivation, and dignity” with respect for self-determination, said Marie-Louise Eskerod Ifversen, the municipality’s social services director. Many residents have histories of stable lives—military service, jobs, families—before addiction took hold. Photos on their walls hint at those earlier chapters, a reminder that “vulnerability and substance abuse can affect anyone,” Ifversen noted.

For some, the model has worked: Knud Erik, a 13-year resident, has been sober since November with help from Falhof and staff who administer antabus. Yet even in recovery, he chooses to stay. “I like living here,” he said, defying the street’s grim reputation.

Others continue to drink heavily. Journalist Anders Agger, visiting for his DR documentary series Indefra, described Fredensgade as a place “where people are allowed to go to the dogs”—a reference to Tom Kristensen’s novel Hærværk—while still receiving basic care. Falhof, who has seen three residents die young from alcoholism, called it “hard to witness” but insisted: “I’ll be here if they decide not to go to the dogs.”

The municipality frames the project as a bulwark against homelessness, though critics might question whether enabling severe addiction without strict rehabilitation paths does more harm than good. Officials counter that traditional interventions often fail this group; here, small steps—like a resident agreeing to a doctor’s visit—count as progress.