Presentation given by Juha Kaakinen, Finnish Programme to End Long-term Homelessness at the FEANTSA/French Permanent Representation to the EU seminar, 'Housing First: A Key Element of European Homelessness Strategies', 23rd March 2012.

1. P A A V O
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden
vähentämisohjelma 2008-2011
Long term perspectives:
From Housing First to Ending Homelessness
Bruxelles
23.03.2012
Juha Kaakinen Programme leader
The Finnish National Programme to reduce
long-term homelessness

2. The national programme for the reduction of long-term
homelessness in Finland 2008–2011: Targets
Need to address long-term homelessness,
which had not diminished along the general decreasing of
homelessness
1. New targets – putting long-term homelessness down to half by
2011 and ending it by 2015
2. Conversion of all shelters and dormitory-type hostels into supported housing
3. Reinforcing Housing first – approach
as a mainstream organizing principle for housing and
support services for homeless people
The overall funding of the programme exceeded €160 million of which
the state provided €130 million ( € 60 grants for investments, €60 loans for
investments and €10,3 for salary costs), municipalities €10,3 million and
RAY (Finland’s Slot Machine Association) €20,5 million
The state’s allocated funding has covered 50 % of the salary costs of
additional staff required to produce support services.
205 new support workers have been employed through this funding.
P A A V O
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden

3. The reduction of long-term homelessness 2008–2011 in Finland
Quantitative targets:
1250 new dwellings, supported housing units or care places
in ten major cities
2010: 494 new dwellings in use
2011: 581 new dwellings in use
2012: 622 under planning and construction will be in use
Total: 1697 new dwellings
These new dwellings are mostly in single house units (the largest one has
125 independent flats)
There are also several hundreds of dwellings in scattered housing both in
municipal social housing and dwellings acquired from
private housing sector
All new units function according to Housing First –principle
P A A V O
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden

4. Single homeless and long-term homeless
2008-2011
all single homeless
long term homeless

5. Homelessness in Finland
Wide definition of homelessness
2011: 7572 single homeless people of which
* 2730 long-term homeless
* 5235 living temporarily with friends and relatives
* 1595 women
* 1387 young < 25 years
* 1020 immigrants
Definition of long-term homelessness:
A person whose homelessness has become prolonged and chronic,
or is threatening to become chronic (over 1 year of homelessness or
repeatedly homeless during the last three years)
due to social and health problems
P A A V O
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden

6. Why we want to get rid of hostels and shelters?
Hostels and shelters have a long history in Finland
After the second world war there were hostels in bomb-shelters
From 1950 to 1990 hostels were mainly run by private companies
The biggest hostels had over 500 bed-places
The oldest hostel in Helsinki run by Salvation Army (236 bed-places)
Closed its door in February 2011
It will be renovated into supported housing unit with 80 independent flats
Living in a hostel or shelter is always a temporary solution,
but nobody knows for how long
You have no privacy
You have only very limited professional help in your problems
Hostels sustain a culture of irresponsibility:
Problems in hostels are resolved in a very straightforward manner:
If you end up in trouble either you are thrown out or
you leave on your own and also leave the problems behind, unsolved
Hostels create ”a culture of silence”
P A A V O
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden

7. SUPPLY OF SHELTERS AND SUPPORTED HOUSING, HELSINKI 1970-2011
Supported Supported Independent Shelters/
flats/places group homes/ flats places
places
1970 3665
1975 3036
1980 2351
1985 99 28 65 2121
1990 423 194 382 1403
1995 409 199 1223 884
2000 374 203 1667 906
2005 335 178 2130 659
2008 374 178 2033 558
2009 223 180 2210 518
2010 245 180 2274 511
2011 560 180 2296 144
08.02.13 7

8. Housing First in Finland: Principles and Solutions
« Name on the door » :
a basic human need for privacy, a place of one’s own, a home:
A rental contract of one’s own (not second-hand contract or
temporary social contract)
A permanent housing allows other problems to be solved:
Non-drinking is not a requirement for permanent housing
Separation of housing and services,
Individually tailored services based on an assesment of needs
The solutions for homelessness cannot be temporary
Conventional shelters and dormitory-type hostels are not anymore
adequate responses to homelessness:
Hostels will be converted into supported housing units
P A A V O
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden

9. Housing First in Finland: Principles and Solutions
Finnish model is a combination of:
Pathways Housing First
-Some individual projects
Communal Housing First
-main focus during 2008-2011, 39 units of supported
- housing (16 – 125 individual dwellings in single house units)
-Intensive support for the most vulnerable group of long-term
homeless people
-Replacing dormitory type hostels and shelters
Housing First ”light” services
-scattered housing
-individual flats from the municipal social housing or
flats acquired from the private market (Y-Foundation)
P A A V O
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden

10. Housing First in Finland: Experiences
Results so far in Housing first are significantly better than in
the traditional Staircase –model (revolving door –syndrome),
but elements of staircase model survive
Both scattered housing and single house units (communal housing first)
are needed:
More intensive support is not working in scattered housing
It is not self-evident which type of housing gives better results
in terms of social integration
PathwaysHF may work very well as a small-scale approach
When implementing Housing First on a programme level with
a limited time-span you have to combine different approaches
The importance of health services for homeless people
Housing is not treatment: Also non-drinking units are needed
There is a need for a new kind of treatment at home for people
with drinking problems
P A A V O
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden

11. Ending Long-term homelessness:
Lessons we have learned for
The New Programme 2012-2015
The crucial role of prevention:
Results from housing advisory services have been encouraging
In Helsinki 2010-2011 14 housing advisors managed to stop
148 eviction processes and negotiaited 3682 payment contracts
for rental debts
Prevention of youth homelessness: tailored counseling and support
for youth in risk groups, the risk of unemployment
Homeless ex-prisoners: making plans for housing and
support arrangements already when in prison
P A A V O
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden

12. Ending Long-term homelessness:
Lessons we have learned for
The New Programme 2012-2015
A very thin line separates long-term homeless people from other
homeless people
A risk of social injustice: Do I have to become a long-term homeless
to get quality services?
Three corner-stones for ending homelessness:
•Targeted measures for eliminating long-term homelessness
•More systematic prevention
•Reducing the risk of long-term homelessness
P A A V O
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13. Ending Long-term homelessness:
New Programme 2012-2015
Same basic principles
10 main cities
1250 new dwellings of which at least 50 % in scattered housing
A national project for developing support services for youth
Preventing homelessness among youth: 600 new dwellings
Systematic use of social housing for long-term homeless people
Abolishing shelters nationwide
Structural changes in institutional care for substance abusers
Quality improvement in housing for persons recovering from psychiatric
problems
More systematic prevention:
Legal status for housing advisors (social workers mainly)
state grants for municipalities for expanding housing advising
P A A V O
Extending housing advasing also to private landlords
pitkäaikaisasunnottomuuden

14. Ending homelessness
It is a question of ethics:
Housing first treats formerly homeless persons as normal citizens
rather than as clients or patients
It is a question of economy:
The survey carried out in a Tampere supported housing unit shows that
housing with intensified support halves the use of social and health care services
compared to service-use during homelessness.
This equates, to 14 000 euros of savings per resident/year
The total annual savings for 15 residents in the unit in question
amounted to 220 000 euros/
The greatest savings were gained from the decreased use of institutional care
and special health care
This housing unit has 22 independent flats and 5 support workers
It is a question of customer choice:
Many homeless people prefer Communal Housing First, because they
fear isolation and loneliness in scattered housing
P A A V O
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15. Need for empirical evidence:
Follow-up and evaluation of the Reduction Programme
Systematic follow-up of success-rate in municipalities and
In all units
Subjectice well-being of clients :
All programme cities and all units included
A questionnaire and an interview done yearly
Based on:
Biswar-Diener R, Diener E. Making the best of a bad situation: Satisfaction
In the slums of Calcutta.
www.intentionalhappiness.com/articles/July-2009/Calcutta1.pdf
A pilot survey already done in the housing services of Helsinki Diaconese
Instute
Research carried out by Prof. Juho Saari, University of Eastern Finland

16. Ending homelessness
It is a question of human value and meaningfulness in life:
After housing has been solved there arises a hunger for
meaningful daily activities
The importance of work or work-related activities for self-esteem
« No one has yet failed in the future »
James Richardson
P A A V O
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