**Finland applies the “Housing First” concept**

Housing is a human right: How Finland is eradicating homelessness

In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply

The common thing for all homeless people is that they don’t have a home. Everybody has their own story, their own history. They have their own resources. They may also have their own problems. For that reason, we must make a very tailor-made plan for people, to provide adequate support.

Since the 1980s, Finnish governments had been trying to reduce homelessness. Short-term shelters were built. However, long-term homeless people were still left out. There were too few emergency shelters, and many affected people did not manage to get out of homelessness: They couldn’t find jobs – without a housing address. And without any job, they couldn’t find a place to stay. It was a vicious circle. Furthermore, they had problems applying for social benefits. All in all, homeless people found themselves trapped.

But in 2008 the Finnish government introduced a new policy for the homeless: It started implementing the “Housing First” concept. Since then, the number of people affected has fallen sharply.

“Housing First” reverses the conventional homeless aid such as looking for a job first, freeing themselves from their psychological problems or addictions, and lastly, getting help in finding accommodation.

On the other hand, the program provides a place to stay for homeless people first– without any preconditions. Social workers help them with applications for social benefits and are available for counseling in general. In such a new, secure situation, it is easier for those affected to find a job and take care of their physical and mental health. Finland is the only EU country where the number of homeless people is declining.

In Helsinki, there is a service center for homeless people. They can always go in, no matter their condition. It’s probably the most like the shelters in other countries. They discuss their situation with a social worker, and they are provided housing based on the discussion.

One of the NGOs, “Y-Foundation” provides housing for people in need. They take care of the construction themselves, buy places on the private housing market, and renovate existing units. The apartments have one to two rooms. In addition to that, former emergency shelters have been converted into apartments to offer long-term housing.
For example, the last big shelter in Helsinki, run by the Salvation Army, had 250 beds. It was completely renovated in 2012. Now they have 81 independents, modern, apartments in that same building. They also have on-site staff for support. So, this structural change has probably been the crucial thing that has led to this trend of decreasing homelessness.

Homeless people turn into tenants with a tenancy agreement. They also pay rent and operating costs. Social workers, who have offices in the residential buildings, help with financial issues such as applications for social benefits.
Juha Kaakinen is head of the Y-Foundation. The NGO receives discounted loans from the state to buy housing. Additionally, social workers caring for the homeless and future tenants are paid by the state. The Finnish lottery, on the other hand, supports the NGO when it buys apartments on the private housing market. The Y-Foundation also receives regular loans from banks. The NGO later uses the rental income to repay the loans.

The result is impressive: 4 out of 5 homeless people will be able to keep their places for a long time with “Housing First” and lead a more stable life.

In the last 10 years, the “Housing First” program provided 4,600 homes there. While in 2017 there were still about 1,900 people living on the streets, the program could reduce this number to less than 1000 long-term homeless by 2019 – but there were enough places for them in emergency shelters so that they at least didn’t have to sleep outside anymore.

Creating housing for people costs money. In the past 10 years, 270 million euros were spent on the construction, purchase, and renovation of housing as part of the “Housing First” program. However, Juha Kaakinen points out, this is far less than the cost of homelessness itself. Because when people are in emergency situations, emergencies are more frequent: Assaults, injuries, breakdowns. The police, health care, and justice systems are more often called upon to step in – and this also costs money.

In comparison, “Housing First” is cheaper than accepting homelessness: Now, the state spends 15,000 euros less per year per homeless person than before.

With 4 out of 5 people keeping their places, “Housing First” is effective in the long run. In 20 percent of the cases, people move out because they prefer to stay with friends or relatives – or because they don’t manage to pay the rent. But even in this case, they are not dropped. They can apply again for an apartment and are supported again if they wish.

Of course, there is no guarantee for success. Especially homeless women are more difficult to reach: They conceal their emergency situation more often: They live on the streets less frequently and rather stay with friends or acquaintances.
Moreover, if they have drug abuse problems, simply providing housing doesn’t solve that kind of issue. They may need rehabilitation, detoxification, etc. These other elements are important.

It’s important to know the stories of those whose lives have changed since they got housing. These things have an emotional impact on the public. If there are willing former homeless people, who would like to tell their stories, this kind of human-interest element is very powerful. But of course, there are very clear facts behind how it should be done and why we should speak about housing as a human rights issue.

Sources: