Finland's policy of 'Housing First' has often been lauded in international media, with claims that the country has "solved homelessness".
The reality is that homelessness in Finland has been reduced at a record rate through the 'Housing First' principle, but around 4,000 in Finland remain without a home and the number of long-term homeless individuals rose in the past year.
The 'Housing First' initiative has made the primary focus of helping homeless people getting them long-term, stable housing. The programme holds that only after housing has been provided should any other problems, such as substance abuse or mental health issues, be dealt with.
The government program has a goal of eradicating homelessness by 2027.
In Helsinki, the number of homeless people changed from 4,340 in 2020 to 3,950 at the end of 2021. Despite the overall number of those experiencing homelessness diminishing, the numbers for long-term homelessness show a less positive trend.
In 2020, exactly 1,060 were experiencing long-term homelessness while in 2021 that number was 1,320.
Jussi Lehtonen, the housing manager of No Fixed Abode (VVA) — an organisation working to offer housing solutions to the homeless — told Yle that he knows there is a sizeable number of people in tough situations around the Helsinki region.
"The number of the most vulnerable people has increased in the Helsinki metropolitan area," Lehtonen said.
According to Lehtonen, only a small proportion of the homeless population spend all their nights on the streets or in stairwells. More typically, nights are spent in emergency accommodations, shelters, longer-term options and public toilets.
Year-long queue for housing
Individuals in situations like this can apply for a place in housing units, but the queue for this type of housing is more than a year long. For a long-term homeless person, this queue means a year on the streets and trying to find accommodation each night.
The opening of a new temporary housing unit shows that there are not enough affordable housing options and housing support, according to Teija Ojankoski, CEO of the Y-Foundation, which implements the 'housing first' approach.
"This is a constant, big question in all growing urban areas. More affordable housing is needed," Ojankoski explained to Yle.
The pandemic seriously affected long-term homelessness, according to Lehtonen, and this is not the only issue affecting efforts to house those who need it.
"One issue is the sote (social and healthcare) reform, which has critical issues that are still unclear for homelessness. Another concern is the situation of Ukrainian refugees, which may have longer term effects as well," Ojankoski added.
The sote reform is the allocation of social and healthcare services to new regional bodies, instead of municipalities. It still leaves the question open over whether the distribution of services related to homelessness fall under the municipalities or the newly formed welfare areas.
The influx of an estimated 80,000 Ukrainians is more pressing for the current homeless situation as municipalities are searching for possible apartments to house them.
Ojankoski assessed that the Ukrainians do not have an immediate impact on the housing situation so far, as they are currently housed outside cities or on their outskirts.
"However, history has shown that when conditions level off, the demand for larger cities grows. There is a risk that the number of applicants for affordable housing will increase significantly and thus limit the access of housing to others," Ojankoski emphasised.
