Housing First and Ending Homelessness in Finland

A Home of Your Own Housing First and ending homelessness in Finland © Y-Foundation ISBN 978-952-93-9057-1 Printing: Otava Book Printing Ltd, Keuruu 2017 contents A Home of Your Own Housing First and ending homelessness in Finland 3 - A New Approach to Work: From Knowing Better to Open Dialogue 26 GOOD TO KNOW | How did the Finnish Salvation Army start community work? 28 FOREWORD | A Book That Is Truly Needed 9 KEY CONCEPTS | Work-counselling 28 GOOD TO KNOW | Community living does not suit everyone 29 1 - Why Housing First? 10 Number of homeless in Finland 1987–2016 (FIGURE) 11 4 - Getting Rid of Shelters 30 The housing stock in Finland (FIGURE) 12 Housing options for homeless people in Helsinki (FIGURE) 30 Distinctive features of Finnish homelessness 13 The transformation of Alppikatu 25 31 KEY CONCEPTS | Who is homeless? 13 Life in the Alppikatu shelter 31 GOOD TO KNOW | How does the Finnish model differ from The physical and mental transformation took years 32 the American Pathways Housing First model? 14 Preparing for the transformation 33 The Housing First philosophy: four principles 15 Alppikatu 25 as a shelter and as a supported housing unit (FIGURE) 34 The captains of the Flying Dutchman 35 2 - How Was the Housing First Model Born? 16 Alppikatu supported housing unit floor plan 36 GOOD TO KNOW | Three perspectives of the Name on the Door report 21 GOOD TO KNOW | Where did all 236 residents of Alppikatu 25 move to? 37 History of Finnish homelessness 23 Alppikatu 25 after the transformation 37 GOOD TO KNOW | Everyone has the right to health care 23 Life in a supported housing unit – case Väinölä 39 KEY CONCEPTS | The Y-Foundation 25 Väinölä supported housing unit floor plan (FIGURE) 46 KEY CONCEPTS | Kela 25 Typical Väinölä apartment (FIGURE) 46 KEY CONCEPTS | ARA 25 Väinölä supported housing unit in numbers (FIGURE) 47 KEY CONCEPTS | Shelter 25 GOOD TO KNOW | Finnish sauna culture 48 KEY CONCEPTS | Supported housing unit 25 A home where someone supports you 50 KEY CONCEPTS | Scattered housing 25 Three actors, one supported housing unit (FIGURE) 51 Timeline of homelessness in Finland (FIGURE) 20 / 22 / 24 KEY CONCEPTS | Community meeting 52 KEY CONCEPTS | Service plan 52 4 5 contents Residents’ Stories How the Helsinki Deaconess Institute does neighbourhood work ? 84 Male, 58: “Things are good as they are” 54 Low-threshold work activity connects people to society 85 Female, 59: “I am someone again” 56 GOOD TO KNOW | Best practices of neighbourhood work 85 Male, 18: “Even cleaning feels different” 58 Male, 44: “No one gets sober when they are homeless” 60 8 - Preventing Homelessness 86 Male, 48: “I got really lucky” 63 How to get properties to the homeless? 86 KEY CONCEPTS | Housing advice services 87 5 - Housing-Related Financial Support in Finland 64 KEY CONCEPTS | Financial and debt counselling services 87 GOOD TO KNOW | Maintenance charge in owner-occupied apartments 67 Goals of the action plan for preventing homelessness in Finland 88 KEY CONCEPTS | Ohjaamo one stop guidance centres 91 6 - Actors and Money in the Housing First Model 68 How is the action plan funded? 92 How does the state support the construction of affordable housing? (FIGURE) 68 These actors reduced homelessness together during 2012–2015 (PAAVO II) 69 9 - Future Challenges 94 GOOD TO KNOW | The floating support service LIITU 69 The social services, health care and regional government reform will challenge the organisation of the work on homelessness 94 The cities’ operational programmes during 2012–2015 70 Homelessness will concentrate in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area 95 Where did the money come from during 2012–2015? (FIGURE) 74 Intoxicant use and debt problems will grow 96 How much money the state allocated to cities for hiring support staff during 2012–2015? 75 The number of undocumented migrants is unknown 97 KEY CONCEPTS | RAY, Veikkaus and STEA 76 GOOD TO KNOW | Women’s homelessness 97 KEY CONCEPTS | FEANTSA and the Housing First Europe Hub 76 KEY CONCEPTS | The Networking for Development Project 77 Glossary 98 Experts by experience help on all levels 78 References 104 GOOD TO KNOW | Types of experts by experience 79 Acknowledgements 107 7 - Housing First, but What Comes Next? 80 Appendices 108 Forms of support work 80 APPENDIX 1 | Housing First Quality Recommendations 108 Neighbourhood work promotes integration 81 APPENDIX 2 | The letter of intent between the state and the city of Helsinki What is neighbourhood work in practice? 83 (2012–2015) to eliminate long-term homelessness 112 6 7 FOREWORD A Book That Is Truly Needed In October 2007, a working group of four experts submitted their report on homelessness to Finland’s Minister for Housing. The report was called Name on the Door, and it proposed launching a national programme for eliminating long-term homelessness by the year 2015. The working group stated that “this requires adopting the Housing First principle, where a person does not have to first change their life around in order to earn the basic right to housing. Instead, housing is the prerequisite that allows other problems to be solved” This became the principle on which the Finnish National Programme to reduce long-term homelessness, launched in 2008, was built. Its results have been man- ifested in recent years in a reduction in both homelessness and long-term homelessness. The Housing First principle quickly made a breakthrough and became the established starting point for social work on homelessness. The atmosphere was favourable to the paradigm shift. Many actors already had experience of work based on the Housing First philosophy. The principle, as we understand it in Finland, has in a short time become a common national strategy and way to act, and its importance is unquestionable. The idea for writing this book came to us in the autumn of 2016, when our cal- endar began filling up with foreign visitors, and inquiries about the Finnish model were clogging our email. We noticed that we were answering similar questions over and over again: How is the support for the residents organised? Who pays the rent? What exactly is a supported housing unit? Why was there a desire to get rid of shelters? We decided that we might as well put together a handbook on Finland’s Housing First model for professionals in the field as well as policymakers. This book describes, as pragmatically as possible, the Finnish way of reducing homelessness, the special characteristics of the Finnish Housing First model, as well as its differences compared to the American Pathways Housing First model. For us, Housing First is a living and evolving model, an approach to doing work on eliminating homelessness. We hope that this book will be useful and brighten up the day of everyone who in their own country, in their own city, does work on eliminating homelessness and wants to make use of the Housing First model and our experiences with applying it. In Helsinki, 2 June 2017 Juha Kaakinen CEO, Y-Foundation 9 why housing first 1 Why Housing First? Homeless families In institutions Finland is the only country in Europe where the As recently as the 1980s, a homeless person Sleeping rough, in temporary shelters, hostels number of homeless people is on the decline. This in Finland could only get a home once they had is not a coincidence. Since the 1980s, the state, demonstrated their social acceptability. Often this Temporarily living with friends and relatives volunteers, municipalities and NGOs have been meant abstaining from intoxicants. As a result, a working with determination to reduce homeless- homeless person would end up going round in ness. Of particular importance is that in the 2000s, circles with a permanent dwelling being nothing the state has launched and funded programmes but a distant dream. aimed at reducing homelessness, which have In the Housing First model, a dwelling is not in particular tackled the situation of the most a reward that a homeless person receives once 18 000 vulnerable long-term homeless. With the help of their life is back on track. Instead, a dwelling is 16 000 the programmes, organisations and municipalities the foundation on which the rest of life is put have, for example, provided new housing for the back together. When a person has a roof securely 14 000 homeless and reformed the services aimed at them. over their head it is easier for them to focus on All of these actors have wanted the same thing: to solving their other problems. This shift in thinking 12 000 humanise the life of the homeless. particularly changed the lives of those long-term 10000 The state’s firm guidance turned reducing homeless people who had been in the most dif- homelessness into a shared goal. The process went ficult position of all. This group includes people 8000 on despite the economic recession that began in recovering from substance abuse and mental 2008, during which cuts were made to many other health issues, for example. Applying the model 6000 services provided by society. First and foremost, has reinforced the idea that they too can manage however, it all required a complete reversal in how in a regular rental apartment if they receive the 4000 Finland of The Housing Finance and Development Centre Source: homelessness was thought about: the whole system right kind of support. For one person, a lease and 2000 was built on the basis of the Housing First principle. safe apartment of their own is enough support, Above all, Housing First is a principle. It is also whereas another may also need various support 0 an operating model, an ideology and a way of measures in daily life.

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