{"id":22625,"date":"2026-02-24T04:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T04:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/22625\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T04:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T04:18:10","slug":"inside-greenlands-homelessness-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/22625\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Greenland\u2019s homelessness crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even at 1%, Greenland\u2019s homelessness rate already exceeds that of comparable wealthy countries. In England<\/a>, around 43 people per 10,000 are estimated to be homeless, roughly 0.4% of the population, although broader definitions suggest closer to 0.6%. In the United States, the rate is around 0.2%. In Denmark, it is approximately 0.1%.<\/p>\n

Greenland\u2019s official rate is higher than all of them.<\/p>\n

Life without a home in the Arctic<\/p>\n

At this time of year, temperatures in Nuuk typically fall below minus 20 degrees Celsius, Perry explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Arctic conditions, you have to seek shelter from the cold and the wind,\u201d says Perry, who has spent nearly a decade researching homelessness in Nuuk.<\/p>\n

\"\"Associate professor Kevin Perry braves the cold in Greenland. The British national has lived on the world\u2019s largest island for eight years and is fluent in Danish. Credit: Kevin Perry<\/p>\n

Exposure can be fatal, meaning homelessness doesn\u2019t often present as rough sleeping and instead stays hidden<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople sleep in stairwells, abandoned houses, or in boats,\u201d Perry clarifies. \u201cYou have to do that if you want to survive the winter.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cOn an average night, there were four people sleeping in various places, curled up in the fetal position on a piece of cardboard,\u201d Perry recalls of one overnight homelessness count conducted in Nuuk.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is cold. The concrete in the stairwells absorb the heat from your body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emergency shelters exist in Nuuk, but they operate on a nightly basis. Residents must leave each morning and return again in the afternoon, carrying everything they own with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey call it an emergency shelter, but I don\u2019t understand why,\u201d Perry says. \u201cSome of the people have been coming there for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the shelter closes, many head to the Salvation Army\u2019s William\u2019s Caf\u00e9, a daytime social space offering free tea, coffee and support.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, that\u2019s the main NGO, and they help a lot of people every day,\u201d Perry explains. \u201cIf you go in there, there\u2019s probably around 70 people sitting there. They get tea, coffee and lunch. And then there\u2019s free Wi-Fi.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"\"Custom-built insulated shipping containers have been used as a rapid-response solution to address the capital\u2019s homelessness crisis. Credit: Kevin Perry<\/p>\n

Others live in converted shipping containers on the edge of the city. Originally used by construction workers, the metal units have been repurposed as temporary housing. Around 20 people live in one such complex near Perry\u2019s home in Nuuk. Inside, each person has a single room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been inside some of them,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re slightly smaller than a police cell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents pay around 1,500 Danish kroner a month, roughly \u00a3175, to live there. Despite the size, demand is high.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople like living there because they can lock the door,\u201d Perry explains. \u201cThey can lock their stuff in. It gives them some sort of security.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the newer containers, purchased second-hand by the local authority, are in better condition. But they remain, by design, temporary.<\/p>\n

The country\u2019s housing shortage has contributed significantly to the crisis. Waiting lists for social housing can stretch for decades.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf people sign up for a place to live, they might wait between five and 25 years,\u201d Perry says.<\/p>\n

Housing in Greenland is frequently tied to employment. Losing a job can mean losing accommodation at the same time.<\/p>\n

Divorce, illness and mental health problems can also trigger housing loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you get divorced, somebody\u2019s going to keep the place to live, and somebody\u2019s got to get out,\u201d Perry adds. \u201cAnd if you don\u2019t have a good network, then you might end up in the homeless shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The Aurora Borealis seen dancing above Nuuk\u2019s skyline. Credit: Kevin Perry<\/p>\n

A modern housing crisis in an ancient landscape<\/p>\n

Greenland\u2019s homelessness crisis has developed alongside rapid urbanisation.<\/p>\n

For centuries, Greenlanders lived in small coastal settlements, relying on fishing and hunting. That pattern has changed dramatically.<\/p>\n

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In 1985, more than 7,000 people lived in settlements. Today, just over 4,100 do, around 7% of the population. Meanwhile, Nuuk has nearly doubled in size, growing from around 10,500 residents to almost 20,000.<\/p>\n

More than 65% of Greenlanders now live in just five towns and housing construction has struggled to keep pace. Homelessness in Greenland is also closely tied to its colonial history and social structure.<\/p>\n

Around 90% of Greenland\u2019s population is Inuit. Indigenous Greenlanders are heavily overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n

The pattern extends beyond the island. Greenlanders are also significantly overrepresented among homeless populations in Denmark, reflecting broader structural inequalities between the territory and its former colonial ruler.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spoken to a lot of Greenlandic homeless people living in Denmark, and I asked them why they were there,\u201d Perry says. \u201cWhat they say is that it\u2019s easier to be poor in Denmark than it is in Greenland. Coffee is cheaper. Beer is cheaper. It\u2019s easier to get a place to stay. It\u2019s easier to get breakfast, dinner and tea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social security payments are also lower.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAt the moment, single unemployed people in Denmark get around 11,000 or 12,000 Danish krone,\u201d Perry says. \u201cHere they get about 5,000, and the cost of living is much higher.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Since 1980, Nuuk\u2019s population has doubled and housing has struggled to keep up. Credit: Kevin Perry<\/p>\n

Global attention<\/p>\n

Greenland has become an increasing focus of international attention. During his first term, President Trump originally proposed purchasing the island in August 2019. Since returning to office, he has revived the idea, citing security concerns and access to natural resources, including rare earth minerals exposed by melting ice.<\/p>\n

His comments have prompted a wider military and political response across the Arctic. European leaders have pledged to strengthen defence cooperation in the region, while Nato allies, including the UK, Germany and Sweden have announced increased deployments of ships, aircraft and personnel to the High North.<\/p>\n

For Greenlanders, the sudden global focus has been deeply unsettling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe paradox is that the Greenlandic people never felt threatened until they were threatened by the US,\u201d Greenland\u2019s prime minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said at the Munich Security Conference this month.<\/p>\n

Perry has watched that tension spill onto the streets.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI was in the first protest in Nuuk about a year ago,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was the biggest demonstration in recent Greenlandic history. We marched down to the American consulate. When I looked back, it was like watching a line of ants. There were so many people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Perry is one of thousands to have attended the \u2018Hands Off Greenland\u2019 protests across Greenland and Denmark. Credit: Kevin Perry<\/p>\n

Weeks later, he joined another protest outside the US embassy in Copenhagen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were about 16,000 people. Greenlanders, Danes, international supporters. There was a lot of solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of the anger, he says, is rooted in fears about sovereignty.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are talking about how they would rather die fighting than become American.\u201d<\/p>\n

A former British soldier, Perry reaches behind him during our video call and lifts a rifle into view.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are at least 30,000 rifles in Greenland. It\u2019s a hunting society,\u201d Perry adds. \u201cPeople grow up with them. They\u2019re tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

The number refers only to civilian-owned firearms and doesn\u2019t take into account the island\u2019s long-standing military presence.<\/p>\n

According to Perry, although the citizens of Nuuk know the military is nearby, personnel themselves tend to remain largely out of sight, stationed on ships or at remote installations.<\/p>\n

For now, their presence has not displaced local communities, but Greenland previously experienced the consequences of military expansion.<\/p>\n

In 1953, Inuit families living near Thule in the far north were forcibly relocated to make way for a new US air base. The community was moved more than 100 kilometres north to Qaanaaq, losing access to their homes and traditional hunting grounds. Denmark later acknowledged the relocation, and in 1999 the Danish Supreme Court ruled the displacement unlawful, awarding compensation to those affected.<\/p>\n

The base, now known as Pituffik Space Base, still operates today as a missile defence and space surveillance station.<\/p>\n

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A second count<\/p>\n

\"\"The second national homelessness count will take place in April 2026, four years since the island\u2019s first. Credit: Kevin Perry<\/p>\n

A new national homelessness count will take place across Greenland this April, with researchers attempting to measure the scale of the crisis more accurately than ever before.<\/p>\n

Because of Greenland\u2019s size, the survey will run for an entire month rather than a single night, with teams travelling between towns and settlements to identify people without stable housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will use the whole of April to do it,\u201d Perry confirms. \u201cIt\u2019s a massive area to get around.\u201d<\/p>\n

The results will produce a number. But Perry already knows many of the people behind it.<\/p>\n

Later that afternoon, he plans to cook chicken soup at a volunteer kitchen in Nuuk, part of a small network of services supporting the city\u2019s homeless population.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can only cater for about 40 people today, so we will buy about 15 chickens, pluck them and cook them all,\u201d Perry grins. \u201cWe make proper food.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In the months ahead, governments will continue negotiating Greenland\u2019s future. Military planners will calculate its strategic value and politicians will debate who should control its land.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Perry and his team will move across Greenland, counting the people who have no permanent address, but still call this island home.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this?\u00a0Get in touch and tell us more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even at 1%, Greenland\u2019s homelessness rate already exceeds that of comparable wealthy countries. In England, around 43 people…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22626,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[184,1586,57,15244,15245,15246,1880,9643,1158,5624],"class_list":["post-22625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-greenland","tag-donald-trump","tag-global-politics","tag-greenland","tag-hidden-homelessness","tag-homeless","tag-homeless-tracker","tag-homelessness","tag-international-politics","tag-politics","tag-us-politics"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}