Politicians and residents shared personal stories about addiction

16.03.2026 - At Blå Kors Pensionat in Taastrup, an election debate quickly became personal when local parliamentary candidates Marie Brixtofte (Venstre) and Maria Durhuus (Socialdemokratiet) spoke openly about having alcohol and drug addiction close to their own lives.

On Thursday, Marie Brixtofte, who is standing in the Gentofte constituency, and Maria Durhuus, a candidate in the Hvidovre constituency, met with residents and staff at Blå Kors Pensionat in Taastrup to talk about addiction, homelessness and encounters with the system, according to a press release from Blå Kors Danmark.

The pensionat is a temporary housing service for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their home. Many of the residents are also struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, mental health problems or social isolation, and need support and time to regain stability.

The debate began with short introductions from the candidates, but the conversation quickly became more personal than political.

“I am glad that places like Blå Kors exist, where people can be caught when they fall. I entered politics to look after vulnerable people. We still see that the system sometimes comes before the person, and that is something we need to change,” said Marie Brixtofte.

Personal stories created recognition

During the debate, Brixtofte said a special sense of recognition emerged between the politicians and the residents.

“I also shared that I am both the child and grandchild of a person with addiction, and that I have had an addiction myself. When you share a little of your own story, you can feel that a different kind of respect and understanding appears. Especially when it concerns issues that are still taboo,” she said.

Maria Durhuus also shared personal experience of having addiction close to her life.

“My best friend drank himself to death at the age of 53, even though we fought a long battle to get him into treatment. His parents nearly mortgaged their house to help him. It was a life that could have been saved if we had had better access to treatment,” she said.

As a former nurse, she has also seen the consequences of addiction in her professional life.

“I have stood in emergency departments and seen people completely broken by addiction, and families that had fallen apart. Often, we could only treat the acute situation and send them back out again. We lack a system that supports people all the way around, including their families.”

The system’s boxes get in the way

During the debate, several residents also spoke about their own experiences with homelessness, treatment and dealing with the system.

Several described how difficult it can be to move forward after a treatment programme. Housing, treatment and employment often fall under different systems that do not always work together. Both politicians agreed that this is a problem.

“We have created far too many boxes in our society, and too many people do not fit into them. Far too often, we spend time discussing which box people belong in instead of just helping them,” said Maria Durhuus.

Marie Brixtofte also believes that the system can sometimes make the road out of addiction harder.

“One of the things we also talked about is that people in treatment are often at the same time met with demands for activation measures or work assessments. Being in treatment is some of the hardest work a person can have, and the system should support that instead of getting in the way,” she said.

Politics meets reality

According to Ole Hjuler, manager of Blå Kors Pensionat, it makes a real difference when politicians choose to open up and speak personally.

“What struck me today was that they came here as people, not just as politicians. They also spoke about their own vulnerability and their own experiences. That creates a completely different kind of conversation,” he said.

He also pointed out that holding the meeting at the pensionat gave residents a better opportunity to take part in the dialogue.

“When the meeting takes place here with us, the residents are sitting in their own surroundings. That makes it easier to ask questions and talk about the things in their lives that are difficult, and where they feel that the system sometimes gets in the way.”

After the debate, the conversations continued over lunch, where politicians, residents and staff spoke further about housing policy, treatment and the path forward for people struggling with addiction and homelessness.

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Source: Blå Kors Danmark