Vello Senkel, known by his nickname Velho, woke up one morning to a knock on his door. His neighbors asked if he had salt to offer. Senkel is a skilled cook and lives in a shared apartment with 77 other formerly homeless individuals in a Helsinki suburb.
He moved there three and a half years ago after spending ten days on the streets of Helsinki following eviction from his home, according to The Guardian. Before that, he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and faced a major loss in his life. Since getting a place here, Senkel has slowly rebuilt his life.
He enjoys cooking and playing guitar every day. He says the apartment has changed everything for him. This housing unit follows the Housing First principle that Finland has made famous in its fight against homelessness.
The model treats housing as a basic human right rather than a reward. Temporary housing is not seen as a solution but something to avoid. All support services are focused on helping people secure permanent homes first.
One key part of the Housing First approach for Senkel is having staff available around the clock. He says without this support, his home would have been a place of deep loneliness. He feels understood by the staff at the unit where he lives.
Marko Lahtela manages the unit where Vello Senka lives. In a shared living room and dining area, residents are served porridge and coffee every morning. There is also a weekly community meeting where issues are discussed.
Residents can volunteer to do small tasks such as cleaning or picking up litter in exchange for a small payment transferred directly into their bank accounts. A notice on the wall says, ‘You are precious,’ and ‘We listen and support and together with you we build the life that is true to you.’ Lahtela says tenants come from various homeless situations.
Some come directly from the street, others have been evicted or struggled to pay rent. Housing is essential but not an instant fix. Many residents have long-term problems like substance abuse, which makes building trust important.
He describes the process as more of a marathon than a sprint. There is no time limit on how long someone can live in the unit. Residents range from their twenties to their sixties, with men around age 40 being most common.
There are two apartments for married couples, and the rest are single-person homes. Most residents pay rent using benefits or pensions. The unit is run by Rinnekodit, a health and social care provider.
They have many success stories, but the system is not perfect. Since 2008, Finland has used Housing First as the foundation of all its homelessness policies. Between 2012 and 2023, homelessness in Finland dropped by more than half.
During the same time period, homelessness rose across Europe, but not in Finland. In Spain, the number of homeless people increased by about a quarter during those years. In England, homelessness rose by 8% in one year.
Finland’s success has drawn attention from leaders around the world, including Britain’s new prime minister Andy Burnham. In contrast to Finland’s approach, Hungary passed a law in December 2011 that makes it illegal to be homeless, according to a report from Wikinews. The law gives warnings or fines for sleeping outdoors.
Offenders may also face jail time. The Hungarian government said the law was needed because homelessness had become a serious issue in Budapest. They estimated that about ten thousand people were homeless in the city.
A large portion of the Romani population was affected, with some estimates showing up to ninety percent unemployment. 48% of those in the country without an occupation have not had one for at least twelve months. The law drew criticism from charities and experts who said enforcement was difficult and that there were too few shelter options.
A charity representative said the law was based on public dissatisfaction rather than professional analysis. He believed homelessness should be addressed through solutions, not laws. The mayor of Budapest said that simply giving housing would not solve all problems.
A member of parliament who proposed the law said local councils should handle homelessness issues. Charities warned that the law could leave one to three thousand people without shelter. Opponents of the law are preparing to demonstrate to the National Assembly in opposition of it.
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