Minister Multala’s roundtable: Homelessness is a complex problem - long-term, cross-sectoral cooperation needed to eradicate it

Reducing homelessness and evictions requires more preventive work against homelessness and earlier identification of the risk of becoming homeless. Evictions, homelessness and ways to eradicate these were discussed at a roundtable organised by the Ministry of the Environment on 3 March. The discussions showed a good understanding of how complex the problem is. Homelessness is caused by a great variety of factors, which stresses the need for cooperation among different actors.

“Eradicating homelessness is an important objective and, in Finland, we are committed to achieving it across government terms. Homelessness is a very complex problem, and solving it often requires not just a home but also many kinds of health and social services and support for financial matters. This is why it is most valuable to bring together actors working on reducing homelessness from different perspectives to analyse the current situation and seek solutions,” Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala said in her opening address. 

The participants expressed concerns about how the weak situation in terms of housing construction will affect homelessness and the segregation of residential areas. At the moment, quite a lot of state-subsidised dwellings are being built, but the considerable decrease in non-subsidised housing production will weaken the situation on the housing market in the next few years. The participants were also worried about the pressures to raise rents if the prolonged recession in the construction of non-subsidised housing leads to housing shortages.

Besides an adequate supply of dwellings, long-term efforts to develop services for homeless people and more extensive preventive actions, especially housing advice, will be needed to reduce homelessness. The topics discussed also included ways to improve the financial literary of people, especially young adults, for preventing evictions. Some residents may not be fully aware of matters such as the consequences of failing to pay the rent. 

Broad political consensus on target to eradicate homelessness for long time in Finland

In Finland, systematic and goal-oriented efforts have been made for over 15 years to eradicate homelessness. Since 2008, several programmes concerning homelessness have been implemented. In the Programme of Petteri Orpo’s Government a key focus is on eradicating long-term homelessness. The Government has launched a programme to eradicate long-term homelessness by 2027. 

Funding under the programme is targeted to joint projects of cities and wellbeing services counties where common structures and models are developed to eradicate long-term homelessness. In the projects a particular focus is on health and social services targeted to long-term homeless people. In the roundtable discussions, project funding from the programme was considered important and highly necessary. Funding strengthens the cooperation between municipalities and wellbeing services counties to eradicate homelessness.

Participants in the discussion:  

• Guarantee Foundation
• Finnish Affordable Housing Companies’ Federation KOVA 
• Y-Säätiö (Y-Foundation)
• Housing company of City of Helsinki Heka
• No Fixed Abode NGO (Vva ry)
• Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa
• Finnish Landlord Association
• City of Turku
• City of Helsinki
• National Enforcement Authority Finland