Finland can boast of introducing an unusual project, as a result of which the number of homeless citizens is rapidly falling and their well-being is increasing. What's the secret? It turns out that the local government provides housing to needy citizens completely free of charge, and also distributes money. As a result, the country's economy was not only unaffected, the strategy turned out to be extremely beneficial for the total budget of Finland.
The story of a homeless man
A woman sits on the road and looks extremely poor. She has no home, no work and no family. But everything has changed in just a few days.
This summer, a woman named Tatu will turn 32 years old. But however, only now can she say that she has a house that is only hers and no one else. And this is not just a room in a collapsing building. Housing is a spacious one-bedroom apartment in a small, fully restored quarter of the suburb of Helsinki. The windows offer a wonderful view not of a birch.
According to the woman, a miracle happened. She, as she recalls, always lived in communes. However, the people here were all taking drugs, so she had to leave. Now she has her own housing.
The old system has become obsolete
It was clear to all senior officials of the country and ordinary citizens that the old system was not working. The country has long needed radical changes. According to the developers of the program, it is important that all owners of new housing are official tenants. They pay the required amount and, if necessary, can apply for benefits.
It is known that the entire program to provide homeless people with square meters is part of the housing policy of Finland, the only EU country to implement such a project. Its developers are four people:
- sociologist;
- bishop.
- doctor;
- politician.
When more than ten years ago the project was only at the development stage, its creators assured that the country would get rid of night shelters and short-term hostels. Their financing was very expensive, and now they are almost eliminated.
Shelters are not a panacea
As in many countries, the problem of the homeless was solved in Finland through the maintenance of shelters. However, such measures still did not lead to positive results. After all, people after temporary accommodation had to return to the street. And their own apartment was a reward for them.
But it is important that housing be provided to the homeless without requirements. It is necessary that a person does not solve his problems before he receives housing, and the house is the basis for facilitating a life situation.
Implementation scheme
With great support not only from the state, but also from non-governmental organizations and municipalities, apartments were purchased and new houses built. Old shelters have been reorganized into permanent comfortable homes.
Housing First's initial goal was to create a total of 2,500 new homes. However, in reality, 3,500 already exist. Since the launch of the social project in 2008, the number of homeless people in the country has significantly decreased. Call numbers from 35 to 40%.
In the country, there are practically no people who sleep on the street. In Helsinki, there is only one temporary shelter for the homeless. It takes people overnight if winter temperatures fall to -20 ° C.
How it was
But literally a decade ago the situation was radically different. The deputy mayor of Helsinki, Sanna Vesikansa, says that when she was little, she saw how hundreds of people across the country slept on the outskirts of a forest or in a park.Currently, this is extremely rare.
Comprehensive help
But not enough to provide a homeless apartment. It is known that people who have lived on the street for a long time have addictions, mental health problems and many chronic diseases. Therefore, support should be comprehensive.
Helping the homeless also consists of:
- in getting an education;
- employment;
- retraining;
- medical examination.
It is worthwhile to understand that some have even to be taught basic things: to clean your apartment and cook food.
People who live in apartments directly from the street can not always adapt and live indoors. But after several months of living without violating the rules, no one has the right to drive legal tenants from their living space.
What's next
In the provided apartment you can stay for a long time. Some remain in the housing provided for many years, while others prefer to act dramatically. So, many take the opportunity to study, find work and acquire their own apartments. Of course, there are still not as many such examples as we would like, but they are there that cannot but rejoice.
Financial issue
Of course, the Housing First project costs a lot of money. As a result, more than 240 million euros were spent from the Finnish budget to build housing for the homeless and to hire employees who would provide them with comprehensive assistance.
Odnraco, the results are worth it. The state saves on the justice system, the provision of social services and medical assistance to the homeless. The amount is 15,000 euros.
However, we can safely say that Housing First operates in Helsinki, where there were a large number of homeless people, also because the program is the basis of the policy that the state is actively implementing. According to the developers of the project, you just need to build as much social housing as possible.
This Finnish capital is lucky. Helsinki owns more than 60,000 housing units for the needy. At the same time, the authorities are also responsible for 70% of the land plots located within the city. The city government owns a construction company and plans to build several thousand new homes in the new year.
Strict standards
Now architects are developing any district of Helsinki taking into account the updated requirements:
- 25% of social housing;
- 30% of subsidized purchases;
- 45% of the private sector.
However, the number of social housing is only planned to increase.
Social guarantees
The Finnish budget also provides significant funds for the prevention of homelessness. For this, special groups are created that are necessary for real help and counseling for those in need. If someone is in danger of losing housing, then legal assistance is invaluable.
The state owns many land plots. And it is right. Indeed, without the support of the government, the problem cannot be eradicated. In addition, architects, even in areas owned by investors, can carry out zoning and allocate space for the construction of houses belonging to those in need.
The problem has not been resolved yet.
Finland has not completely resolved the problem of homelessness. Across the country, about 5,500 people are still homeless and sleeping wherever they need to. About 60-70% live with relatives or friends. However, this is all temporary.
But housing policies, serious planning, and the collective efforts of city officials and philanthropists have helped to ensure that Housing First has proven successful as a way to reduce long-term homelessness. Project developers say their model is not perfect and failures happen. However, they pride themselves on having the courage to put such a system into effect. Now the number of homeless people in Finland has decreased significantly.