On the homeless - Jan Petter in Der Spiegel:
‘Hinkka spent much of the last five years living in emergency shelters and on the streets. On good days, acquaintances would let him sleep in their apartments. He has been a steady drinker for the last 23 years, says Hinkka – about as long as the time period since he last had a job. And yet here he is, in a rather bare one-room apartment with an easy chair, a bed and a kitchenette. For the last 10 months and nine days, Vehi Hinkka has had his own apartment. He still remembers the exact date he moved in: February 10, 2023. Now, he can invite friends to come visit him and play host. He can cook, and he can shower whenever he wants. Last summer, he says, he showered 10 times a day, really, no exaggeration. Simply because he felt like it.’
(…)
‘In recent years, thousands of people in Finland have experienced similar upturns in their fates. Whereas the number of homeless people has been skyrocketing in Europe in recent years, Finland is the only European Union member state to have almost completely eliminated the problem. Only around 3,600 people in Finland are currently without a roof over their head, and the country is aiming to make long-term homelessness a thing of the past by 2027. In the capital of Helsinki, it is to vanish by 2025.’
(…)
‘Complete abstinence is frequently the prerequisite for many aid programs in other countries – which is why, the Finns believe, they fail so frequently. Here, though, such rules only apply to the public spaces, with a team of 20 people providing round-the-clock care to the many residents who suffer from addiction. The team isn’t just made up of social workers, but also includes nurses, work therapists, psychologists and doctors.’
(…)
‘The purpose of our visit, of course, is to learn about the homelessness situation in Finland, but the residents are extremely interested in how it looks in Germany. One of the men says with concern that they hear a lot about the difficult situation facing the German homeless. Is it true, he asks, that hundreds of people have to camp outside in Hamburg?’
(…)
‘In 2007, it was a conservative minister for construction who paved the way for the Housing First initiative – the idea that an apartment would be made available to all homeless people. "The idea didn’t come from social workers, but from leading members of a conservative government and experts. That gave the whole thing a different level of credibility," says Juha Kahila. A social worker by education, she works for Y-Säätiö, the foundation started by five largest municipalities in the country, which own a majority of the apartments in the program.
Now, Kahila is performing a job that is rather unique: He meets people from all over the world to explain the intricacies of Finland’s Housing First concept. Just recently, German Housing Minister Klara Geywitz visited to get a firsthand view of Finnish welfare policy. Kahila also has visits to Canada and the United States on his calendar.’
(…)
‘In 2007, it was a conservative minister for construction who paved the way for the Housing First initiative – the idea that an apartment would be made available to all homeless people. "The idea didn’t come from social workers, but from leading members of a conservative government and experts. That gave the whole thing a different level of credibility," says Juha Kahila. A social worker by education, she works for Y-Säätiö, the foundation started by five largest municipalities in the country, which own a majority of the apartments in the program.
Now, Kahila is performing a job that is rather unique: He meets people from all over the world to explain the intricacies of Finland’s Housing First concept. Just recently, German Housing Minister Klara Geywitz visited to get a firsthand view of Finnish welfare policy. Kahila also has visits to Canada and the United States on his calendar.’
(…)
‘Her team has shrunk over the years, which is a product of its success. "At the same time, it must be said that there is still hidden homelessness. In Helsinki, there are very few people living on the streets, but many hide at friends' places or frequently change shelters. Some conceal for years the fact that they don’t have a place to live."
For many years, setbacks were confronted with even more ambition, and despite the high initial costs, the state and municipalities arranged for thousands of additional apartments. Recently, though, politicians have begun turning their backs on the former consensus. The new right-wing government is pursuing a strict austerity program and subsidies for affordable housing and accommodation consultation have been slashed. The declared target of former Prime Minister Sanna Marin of completely eliminating homelessness by 2027 has been discarded. The new plans only call for an end to "long-term homelessness."
"The goal won’t be met," says Juha Kahila, of the foundation behind the Housing First program. "The abolition of homelessness by 2027 is history."’
Read the article here.
Give the homeless a house, without too many restrictions. Most homeless have mental problems and/or substance abuse issues. Don't insist on abstinence, it backfires.
This method won't work all homeless, but for most of them.
Surprisingly enough and despite its successes the current government in Finland is not convinced of the program, apparently. Governments not only solve problems, but also create them, so they can solve them later.