Since last week, Stockholm’s city mission has been running its activities aimed at economically and socially vulnerable groups from three new meeting places: City, Hässelby and Vårberg. In connection with this, the City Mission is moving its activities from Tensta, Husby, Flemingsberg, Gärdet and Unga station on Södermalm to the new meeting places.
“We have a strategy to do even more for even more people. With nine units we could do a lot, but if we put them together we can do even more. We can now have even longer opening hours and receive even more people. That is the reason why we are making this change,” says Susanne Svensson, area manager at Stockholm City Mission.
Of the 54 employees affected by the change, “a handful” of people have chosen to quit, according to Svensson. No one has been laid off. The decision has caused mixed reactions among the visitors.
“The vast majority of people we help are happy that they can get help from us for considerably more hours than before. But it is clear that there are groups that felt safe in our previous activities for whom this means a change. We support them so that they feel just as safe in the new places,” she said.
In December last year, the city mission’s newly renovated Mötesplats Mariatorget opened, and the pressure of visitors meant that they had to temporarily close the business in order to bring in more staff. However, according to Svensson this has nothing to do with the current relocation.
