We have the MODEL for a
HOMELESSNESS SOLUTION
FINLAND
Finland’s success can be partly attributed to the country's early adoption of
the "Housing First" approach.
This line of action operates on the principle that
offering a permanent roof to homeless individuals is the first step to
addressing the health and social problems they face.
"What happens in the traditional approach to homelessness is that we try to
treat and solve all the problems that homeless people might have in the shelter
system.
And then at the end, we provide them with housing," he explained.
"‘Housing First’ actually puts that upside down
because it uses housing as a tool for integration rather
than as a reward at the end of an integration process," he added.
Since the introduction of this scheme, the number of
long-term homeless people in Finland has fallen by more than 30% - from approximately 3,500 in 2008
to 1,133 in 2022.
Not waiting for a profit-motivated
Developer to find a big profit from
a Project where the Affordable units are 10% !
Which almost NEVER happens !
Between 2008 and 2019, Finland spent over €270 million (around $293 million) on its Housing
First program.
The program has helped build, renovate, and purchase housing.
The government estimates it saves €32
million annually by housing the homeless, mainly through reduced healthcare costs.
The program saves
Finland up to
€9,600 ($14,000) per person each year
The Finnish government also provides
grants for the construction of affordable housing
for special groups like the elderly, students, people with disabilities, and
formerly homeless people.
In 2022, the government facilitated the construction of
over 10,000 new affordable apartments through $2.3 billion in low-cost
loans and $330 million in grants.
SCOTLAND
Post-Brexit, Scotland is not in the European
Union. And I am told that the reason I saw no people living rough there is that
when Scots find themselves unhoused for any reason, they report this to the
local governing council, which is required by law to put you up — stat.
Usually it’s in a hostel-type room, often run by the Salvation Army, which is
reimbursed by the government. You then apply to the council for an apartment,
usually found within a year.
So long as you show that you are looking for work, taxpayers pay your rent,
indefinitely.
SPAIN
In Spain, the constitution guarantees housing.
Article 47 says all Spanish citizens have the right to “decent and adequate
housing.”
BUT
Yes, homelessness is a growing problem in Europe.
Nearly one million people are homeless in the EU
and the UK every night.
In some countries, like France and
Germany, homelessness has more than doubled over
the past decade
In Ireland, there has been an affordable housing
problem ever since the financial crash of 2008.
There are over 8,000 homeless people there, in a country with half the
population of Los Angeles
