From Halving Homelessness, to Ending It

The rapid rise in homelessness, evident across much of Europe, should give us cause for concern. In a recent Housing Europe report it was suggested that ‘the number of people experiencing homelessness has increased in all [EU] countries under review except for Finland’. Without action, increasing numbers of people will die on the streets or have their life chances severely diminished. If we want to prevent this we can learn from those countries making positive progress. Homelessness in Finland has been reduced by more than half over the last 25 years, with a significant decline in those who have been homeless for a long time. This report aims to provide some insights into how this has been achieved.

The Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF), became aware of this remarkable progress through its World Habitat Awards (WHA). This award programme helps us identify highly effective housing programmes and projects. In 2014 the award was given to the Y-Foundation, a Finnish social enterprise that has been central to efforts to eliminate long-term homelessness in this country.

Publication Date: 
2017
Location: 
Finland