Finland may have found a way to eradicate homelessness.
Attention on Finland's approach toward housing and homelessness has grown worldwide. According to Housing First Europe, within the past 16 years, Finland has shifted from traditional management of homelessness to a more progressive and holistic approach.
At the root of Finland's housing initiative is the "Housing First" concept, which was launched in the early 2000s. Unlike traditional homelessness models that many countries use—which often require people to address their problems with substance abuse or mental illness before being assigned housing—stable housing comes first in Finland's initiative. Once participants in the program have a place to stay, they receive other support services to help them deal with substance abuse or other challenges.
The Housing First model is based on the belief that decent, safe housing is a basic human right, experts said. Its theory is founded on the view that if a person does not have a stable home, it is almost impossible to make substantial improvements in other areas of life. This approach sets Housing First apart from the "treatment first" models, which have not been able to sufficiently impact long-term homelessness in many areas.
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The Housing First model implemented in Finland included a comprehensive strategy revolving around policy changes, investment in low-cost housing, and a broad support system to help with the transition out of homelessness.
The Finnish government—in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, municipalities, and heavy investment in new housing units—turned many hostels into permanent housing. Such efforts were further augmented by providing funds with guidance on housing projects through The Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA).
Additionally, the Housing First Initiative includes the services of scattered-site housing units, where homeless people who have a lower risk rate are able to live in regular apartments scattered throughout the community, rather than in large, centralized shelters. This approach helps to integrate formerly homeless people into the community, as well as reduce the stigma associated with homelessness. Many of these apartment complexes are licensed through the city, and all of the complexes are held to the same standard as non-initiative apartments.
One of these complexes includes Silta, which is owned by the independent organization Rinnekodit. It is divided into apartment units for the homeless, individuals with substance abuse issues or mental illness, and the elderly. The complex is run by Marko Lahtela, who has been the head of the unit for 18 months. Silta is an affordable-housing unit, located in the suburban outskirts of Helsinki. The complex charges rent; however, Lahtela said, government services help most of the its tenants pay bills.
“The lease would be approximately, like, 750 euros ($839 USD), but all of our tenants basically get support from the government in the form of those social supports, for example, housing support and labor market support,” Lahtela said. "Those types of things make it so they are able to afford to rent. None of our tenants are in our normal working life, so to speak.”
Silta can house 75 tenants. Although tenants are assigned units based on their individual needs, they still enjoy living in a community with other residents.
“I feel like this unit and the service that we offer here are a little bit different than those apartment complexes somewhere else. We have a beautiful yard area, for example. We offer the possibility to do more of those daily activities, or to do short work activities to get some type of more meaningful things to do for your day, other than, for example, substance abuse. And then we are very connected with our neighborhood, which is also different. Usually those affordability complexes are just placed somewhere, and they're not so well connected with the neighborhood. We have a day care nearby, we have elderly care center nearby, and we are very connected with those,” Lahtela explained.
This sense of community could be seen during a tour of the complex. Silta not only has a community garden, but also a fireplace for the tenants' gatherings. Many tenants can be seen outside in the common area working together to plant flowers or just be in each other's company.
For the "Wall of Encouragement," Lahtela says, the tenants were asked to submit words or phrases that encouraged them, and those words were put onto a metal sheet and hung for all to see.
While tenants were not allowed to be interviewed for this report, for privacy reasons, it's clear on the "Wall of Encouragement" that they were grateful to be off the streets. Some of the messages included: “I wish for interesting things in life”; “ I hope for a friendly society, joy, energy, light, and strength in the presence of joy”; “Love of neighbor and good will”; as well as “ I wish mama is in her own home.”
One organization at the forefront of the Housing First initiative is Y-Säätiö (Y-Foundation), which was founded in 1985 as a Finnish non-governmental organization with the aim to contribute to affordable housing for those in need, particularly the homeless. Y-Säätiö works on the principle that housing is a basic human right, a precondition for a stable and rewarding life. Its motto is essentially based on the idea of Housing First: getting permanent housing to homeless people first rather than insisting that jobs, or attention to drug or alcohol addiction or psychological problems, are pieced together prior to housing. This approach intends to create a stable environment in which challenges can be successfully addressed.
Y-Säätiö recently hosted a “Local to Global” homelessness seminar. This seminar brought people from all over the globe to learn more about not only Finland’s Housing First initiative, but other countries' strategies to combat homelessness. Speakers came from such places as Canada, Colombia, Australia, and Mongolia. Most of the speakers were researchers, authors. The panel even included the mayor of Helsinki. During the second day at the seminar, researchers came together to brainstorm new, innovative ideas or ask questions.
Y-Foundation, one of the biggest property owners in Finland, cooperates with several municipalities, authorities, and private actors in the acquisition of housing stock. In addition to providing housing, Y-Säätiö offers support services to make the integration of tenants into society easier and to enhance their quality of life. Services include counseling, job placement assistance, and health care referrals, all designed to make residents stable and independent in the long term.
The holistic approach that Y-Säätiö has adopted toward the solution has contributed to reducing homelessness in Finland, and has created a model for similar initiatives in other parts of the world. “We have roughly 19,000 apartments for rent, and are the fourth largest landlord in Finland," says Saija Turunen, a research manager for the Y-Säätiö.
Turunen explained how Y-Säätiö also publishes books for countries to use as guides for starting housing initiatives.
“It was when Juha Karkinen was still the CEO,” Turunen says. “He wanted international researchers to imagine how homelessness would be in 2030. And we asked a group of researchers to write something without any references.”
Turunen discussed how the Y-Foundation became a model for other countries.
“... There are lots of countries where they want to create something (like it). That's why we wrote a third book. For example, in the Netherlands, I think they're actually quite far with their planning to create something similar. And also Belgium was thinking about it. The U.K. is a little bit a mess. So, they actually wanted us to write the book because they wanted to create something. But I don't think we will expand anywhere.”
Another important organization fighting to help those in need is VVA ry, which is most commonly referred to as the Finnish Association for the Homeless, an NGO.
"Our organization was kind of like founded by homeless people themselves in 1986 … with (the) help of a couple of social workers," said Erja Morottaja, the head of communications. "It was initiated due to the harsh conditions faced by the homeless, (where) there were about 20,000 homeless people in Finland and the shelters offered no privacy or safety.”
VVA ry's core principle is that every person needs a safe and stable place to call home. It advocates for public policy to make a difference in ending homelessness, creates awareness, and provides direct services to homeless people. The organization's services range from emergency shelter and transitional housing to clothing, food, and health care.
Outreach work has been one of the major initiatives taken up by VVA ry: going to homeless people on the streets to offer short-term help and support. This ranges from giving information about available services and practical assistance to providing help in making relevant connections to ensure that the needy are aware of their rights. The organization also hosts a number of housing units and day centers where homeless people can receive many services in a safe, friendly atmosphere.
Most of the individuals who work in the day center were previously homeless themselves, which gives them a unique perspective on the hardships the people they help are facing.
Morottaja says day centers can help reduce crime in surrounding areas. "When they have food here,” she said, “they don't have to steal the food from the grocery stores.”
However, finding locations for housing units is challenging due to neighborhood complaints and the "not in my backyard" mentality.
VVA ry also publishes a newspaper that reports on homelessness initiatives and research. But the newspaper also has another component where homeless people can express themselves through poetry and art.
VVA ry is participating in initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness and promoting social inclusion in Finland by cooperating with other associations, authorities, and the public.
Organizations work together with city and national departments to make a difference, not only in targeting the stigma surrounding homelessness, but also eradicating the issue.
However, Finland has had a stall in efforts to decrease homelessness, and the government has been blamed for it. Although the Finnish had put many efforts into programs in the beginning years, they are starting to decrease funding, as well as focus on other issues.
Jan Vapaavuori, the former minister of housing for Finland, as well as the former mayor of Helsinki (2017- 2021), played a central role in the initiative. When asked if he sees Helsinki reaching its goal of fully eradicating homelessness by the year 2025, he said:
“I don’t see that the current administration is actually prioritizing that pursuit as much as we did,” Vapaavuori said. “... I'm skeptical .... about them reaching their goal, but I'm confident that they will still make some progress.”
Morottaja expressed her concerns for the future of the initiative as well as the NGO organization she works with. “Every kind of country and society should also have humanity in their policy … We had a government that actually had good development, especially in the Helsinki area. But they are now pushing back. For the first time in more than 20 years we have a government that is not saying anymore that we want to get rid of homelessness. Now, they say they are trying to get rid of long-term homelessness. They are also planning to cut funding from NGOs like us. Yet, it is the NGOs like us who have been filling the holes that society hasn't been able to do, so it's quite tough.”
