skjeve (hus)

English translation: housing for the homeless

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Norwegian term or phrase:skjeve hus
English translation:housing for the homeless
Entered by: Helen Johnson

08:18 Aug 1, 2007
Norwegian to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc. / housing for the needy/disadvantaged
Norwegian term or phrase: skjeve (hus)
Bruk av såkalte 'skjeve hus' overfor bostedløse er eksempler på boligløsningre som går på tvers av mer normale og vanlige løsninger.
Do they just mean 'incorrect housing', 'wrong buildings' (it has been said that, e.g., young handicapped people are sometimes put into a home largely occupied by the elderly), or is something more snide/disrespectful implied?
Advice appreciated (not sure whether it's pro/non-pro).
Helen Johnson
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:46
housing for the homeless
Explanation:
"Skjev" in this context has nothing to do with the houses themselves, but rather with the type of residents who are intended to live there. The adj. "skjev" has gained a new meaning over the past decade or two, and is used to describe someone who has fallen (or has chosen to lie) outside society's norms of behaviour. The best example of this is "skjeve/skjeive dager" - the annual gay festival. Here the adjective is a synonym for gay, homosexual, or to describe others with sexual orientations/preferences that are in conflict with/lie outside society's norms.

The "skeve hus" in Denmark is simply a housing alternative for homeless people who, in addition to being homeless, have also become societal outsiders, for various reasons. Here's a good explanation (see URL further down for more info):
"Skæve huse i Danmark: Enkle boliger til langtids bostedsløse. Typiske skjeve husprosjekt er samlokaliserte, men frittstående, eller bolig i rekke. Boligprosjektene er selvstyrte med lite oppfølging. Ett av de mer kjente eksemplene er ”Sidesporet”; utrangerte jernbanevogner som ble omgjort til boliger. De første skjeve husene kom rundt 1990."

My suggestion is not very imaginative, I'm afraid, more an explanation of what the term stands for. Maybe further research on UK/US sites will provide a more equivalent translation.

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Note added at 22 hrs (2007-08-02 07:07:14 GMT)
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Good point, Vedis. In this case the meaning of "skjev" as I described above is also applied to the actual dwelling, i.e. outside the normal definitions of what a house should be. But I don't interpret it as meaning that there would be something sub-standard about it, just different. "alternative housing solutions", or something along those lines, perhaps.

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Note added at 1 day23 hrs (2007-08-03 07:42:01 GMT) Post-grading
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Yes, this was a bit of a challenge, Helen. And I just had a (rare) flash of inspiration - do a google with "innovative housing * homeless". I think that adding "innovative" captures at least something of the element of "skjev", that this is not just conventional housing.
Selected response from:

brigidm
Norway
Local time: 18:46
Grading comment
It's a difficult one, but I went with this one. .Thanks, Brigid!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +1housing for the homeless
brigidm
3unusual or irregular housing
Hilde Granlund
2stone(d) housing
Diarmuid Kennan


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
stone(d) housing


Explanation:
Just a guess, but is this housing for people with alcohol and/or substance abuse problems? There is a similar concept in Denmark, usually mobile homes away from 'normal' residential areas. Not very successful since the intended residence feel that they are too isolated.

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Note added at 18 mins (2007-08-01 08:36:34 GMT)
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residents

Diarmuid Kennan
Ireland
Local time: 17:46
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 6
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
unusual or irregular housing


Explanation:
Seems we all agree on what this is and that the Norwegian term originates in the Danish project. So this is my suggestion for an English equivalent.
Irregular homes for irregular people? They are not necessarily either stoned or gay, are they? ;-)

Hilde Granlund
Norway
Local time: 18:46
Does not meet criteria
Native speaker of: Native in NorwegianNorwegian
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
housing for the homeless


Explanation:
"Skjev" in this context has nothing to do with the houses themselves, but rather with the type of residents who are intended to live there. The adj. "skjev" has gained a new meaning over the past decade or two, and is used to describe someone who has fallen (or has chosen to lie) outside society's norms of behaviour. The best example of this is "skjeve/skjeive dager" - the annual gay festival. Here the adjective is a synonym for gay, homosexual, or to describe others with sexual orientations/preferences that are in conflict with/lie outside society's norms.

The "skeve hus" in Denmark is simply a housing alternative for homeless people who, in addition to being homeless, have also become societal outsiders, for various reasons. Here's a good explanation (see URL further down for more info):
"Skæve huse i Danmark: Enkle boliger til langtids bostedsløse. Typiske skjeve husprosjekt er samlokaliserte, men frittstående, eller bolig i rekke. Boligprosjektene er selvstyrte med lite oppfølging. Ett av de mer kjente eksemplene er ”Sidesporet”; utrangerte jernbanevogner som ble omgjort til boliger. De første skjeve husene kom rundt 1990."

My suggestion is not very imaginative, I'm afraid, more an explanation of what the term stands for. Maybe further research on UK/US sites will provide a more equivalent translation.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 hrs (2007-08-02 07:07:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Good point, Vedis. In this case the meaning of "skjev" as I described above is also applied to the actual dwelling, i.e. outside the normal definitions of what a house should be. But I don't interpret it as meaning that there would be something sub-standard about it, just different. "alternative housing solutions", or something along those lines, perhaps.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day23 hrs (2007-08-03 07:42:01 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Yes, this was a bit of a challenge, Helen. And I just had a (rare) flash of inspiration - do a google with "innovative housing * homeless". I think that adding "innovative" captures at least something of the element of "skjev", that this is not just conventional housing.

Example sentence(s):
  • ”Gode hus for skjeve liv” - Schandorffsgate, Oslo kommune og Kirkens Bymisjon

    Reference: http://www.feantsa.org/files/Streamlined%20strategy%20social...
    Reference: http://www.husbanken.no/Venstremeny/Bostedsloshet/Vinnere%20...
brigidm
Norway
Local time: 18:46
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 15
Grading comment
It's a difficult one, but I went with this one. .Thanks, Brigid!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Thomas Deschington: I thought about "alternative housing", but that's more ecologically related.
8 mins

neutral  Vedis Bjørndal: It may well have to do with the houses. See:http://www.nbbl.no/include/default_template.asp?Table=Articl...
21 hrs
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