- Finland is the only EU country where homelessness is falling because it provides unconditional, need-based housing ASAP.
- Like many countries, Finland previously had a ‘staircase’ model where homeless people where given temporary shelter until they were deemed deserving of permanent housing.
- Since collaborating with NGOs in 2008 to launch Housing First, Finland’s long-term homelessness has declined by 35%.
- Shelters were transformed into comfortable apartments that also offered mental-health and substance abuse treatment.
- The tenants, many under 30, consider free housing as a necessary foundation.
‘It’s a miracle’: Helsinki’s radical solution to homelessness
(06/03/2019)