Finland is a California sized country squeezed between Russia and Norway. 5.5 million people reside in this Nordic country. Only 5,500 of them are homeless.
And even that number is declining. Since 2008, Finland has implemented a forward thinking homeless initiative known as Housing First. “The housing first model is quite simple: when people are homeless, you give them housing first – a stable home, rather than progressing them through several levels of temporary and transitional accommodation. The idea stems from the belief that people who are homeless need a home, and other issues that may cause them to be at risk of homelessness can be addressed once they are in stable housing. Homeless people aren’t told they must conquer their addictions or secure a job before being given a home: instead it is accepted that having a home can make solving health and social problems much easier” Kaakinen, J. (2016, September 14). Lessons From Finland: helping homeless people starts with giving them homes. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2016/sep/14/lessons-from-finland-helping-homeless-housing-model-homes. This is a logical approach as there have been numerous studies on human behavior in the midsts of scarcity and how it contributes to poor decision making, lack of planning, and low rationality. When you don’t need to worry about what to eat or where to go to the bathroom you create space for potential healing. This is a concept that can start at the level of homeless and spread throughout society to encourage more open and thought out decision making and implementation.
Housing First is a decisive action against a nationwide crisis. Finland spent 250 million Euros (about $3 million) in procuring living arrangements and workers to maintain the operation. This is relatively cheap in the long run. The savings Finland has seen in “emergency healthcare, social services, and the justice system” Berdnyk, L. (2020, January 29). Why There Are No Homeless People On The Streets in Finland. Retrieved from
comes to15,000 Euros per year (about $16,000); having long paid for itself since 2008! In addition, Housing First has changed the stigma of homelessness from the general public of Finland. The takeaway here isn’t necessarily a blueprint on how to solve our homeless crisis here in the U.S (and specifically in Portland). What matters is the forward initiative from the government on following through and solving a problem. In other words, effectively doing what you say you are going to do.
We the people need to demand outcomes like this as a collective and not settle for anything less. Replicas of Housing First have been implemented in the Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Spain, England, Sweden, and Ireland. All with positive outcomes. So, what is the U.S doing?
Anna Ross
Links for Further Reading!
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