The Homelessness project relies on an existing network of experts and service structures of the involved cities in Finland to develop a national model for preventing homelessness that can also be applied locally.
- 08 October 2019
Preventive action plans to tackle homelessness have been created in several municipalities. Additionally, the knowledge of pathways to homelessness has changed significantly and with it the shift from a remedial to a preventive mindset. We have developed a model of utilising experts with hands-on experience in homelessness for the involved municipalities and are introducing that on a communal, national and international level.
The project is shifting the focus from remedial to preventive work. Led by ARA, the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland, the project is developing services and innovations to counter homelessness on three levels: early intervention, social inclusion and supported housing.
Over the past four years, the project has organised theme days throughout the country to collect experiences and best practices and improve the knowledge of – and tools available to – experts and stakeholders. In total, 2 160 social health professionals, landlords and cooperation partners participated in these housing and social work theme days.
Better equipping people at risk
The project is including people who have either been homeless, or who are at risk of becoming homeless, to understand what can be done to prevent it. The project organised several living skills courses in the participating cities.
An important factor in changing the mindset from remedial to preventive actions is the reorganisation and re-targeting of the project cities’ resources. The goal is to develop cost-effective ways of preventing homelessness and its causes, like evictions, which put a heavy financial burden on society.
For example, one preventive measure the project developed in collaboration with its target group was that of detoxification at home, in the city of Jyväskylä. The project compared the costs and effectiveness of providing health care, hospital and emergency services outside the person’s own home with receiving the necessary services at home. The societal costs were significantly lower in the former case. In addition, the people involved could recover in the comfort of their own home without running the risk of losing their home by not living there for prolonged periods.
Involving everyone
Under the social inclusion theme, the project is focusing on attracting experts on the subject of homelessness to develop a multi-sectoral cooperation network. It has employed a group of nearly 20 experts, consisting mostly of either former homeless people, people with a background in homelessness or people living at risk of homelessness. An additional 78 experts are volunteering to support the project’s efforts.
The project has partnered with the Lahti University of Applied Sciences in developing Finland’s first housing social work learning programme, to bring the topic of homelessness to educational institutions. The project is working with civil servants and policy makers, Finnish ministries and government programs to expand its scope from the cities involved to the entire country.
Since the project is developing preventive measures, the results of its efforts will only be tangible after a certain amount of time. Regardless, the project is evaluating the effectiveness of the measures it has developed.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Municipal Strategies to Prevent Homelessness – early intervention, social inclusion and supported housing” is EUR 2 099 357, with the EU’s European Social Fund contributing EUR 1 679 481 through the “Sustainable Growth and Jobs 2014–2020 – Finnish structural fund programme” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Social inclusion”.