How Finland Ended Homelessness

Please understand my speakers aren't connected so I could only read text, not hear anything. But "Housing First" has been backfiring all around the U.S. From research I've done but mostly in-person experience, it's because the name of the program isn't exactly accurate- instead of "Housing First," the approach is "Housing, period."
It seems similar in other locations, too, but after individuals are given housing they are not required to do anything else- they're not obligated to work, gain education, participate in addiction treatment or mental health services. And, as they cannot be evicted for drug use, it comes to giving people housing where they can use drugs without consequences.
Needless to say, it's a mess.
If they really wanted to help homeless folks, they'd make participating in whatever services or programs folks need a requirement after they provide the housing.
 
JaniceM said:
Please understand my speakers aren't connected so I could only read text, not hear anything. But "Housing First" has been backfiring all around the U.S. From research I've done but mostly in-person experience, it's because the name of the program isn't exactly accurate- instead of "Housing First," the approach is "Housing, period."
It seems similar in other locations, too, but after individuals are given housing they are not required to do anything else- they're not obligated to work, gain education, participate in addiction treatment or mental health services. And, as they cannot be evicted for drug use, it comes to giving people housing where they can use drugs without consequences.
Needless to say, it's a mess.
If they really wanted to help homeless folks, they'd make participating in whatever services or programs folks need a requirement after they provide the housing.
Click to expand...

That is a problem. The stair step model described as unworkable while a person is on the streets seems necessary to the success of Housing First if the goal is improved lives. Many housing projects through the years show that a roof and four walls with no incentive beyond that can be sometimes worse than the squalor of street conditions. The Fins are implementing services once the homeless are housed and providing incentives. The narrator disses meritocracy as a component of capitolism but even incremental individual achievement with rewards are necessary to pull a person out of rock bottom.
 
AnnieA said:
That is a problem. The stair step model described as unworkable while a person is on the streets seems necessary to the success of Housing First if the goal is improved lives. Many housing projects through the years show that a roof and four walls can be sometimes worse than the squalor of street conditions. The Fins are implementing services once the homeless are housed and providing incentives. The narrator disses meritocracy but even incremental individual achievement with rewards are necessary to pull a person out of rock bottom.
Click to expand...
From what you said, it sounds like the Fins are taking a good approach. Somehow the same thing should be done here.
 
JaniceM said:
Please understand my speakers aren't connected so I could only read text, not hear anything. But "Housing First" has been backfiring all around the U.S. From research I've done but mostly in-person experience, it's because the name of the program isn't exactly accurate- instead of "Housing First," the approach is "Housing, period."
It seems similar in other locations, too, but after individuals are given housing they are not required to do anything else- they're not obligated to work, gain education, participate in addiction treatment or mental health services. And, as they cannot be evicted for drug use, it comes to giving people housing where they can use drugs without consequences.
Needless to say, it's a mess.
If they really wanted to help homeless folks, they'd make participating in whatever services or programs folks need a requirement after they provide the housing.
Click to expand...
The "housing, period" is the closest the US can come to providing shelter for the homeless. It can not work because the money needed to provide the services to assist the different problems isn't provided. We are able to subsidize the wealthy, or should i say the wealthy subsidize themselves, but the poor and destitute we can't provide a home. I feel like we are living in increasing Feudal times. You remember the stories about the condition of the dwellings and conditions of the serfs slaving for the royalty. There are some horrifying videos on youtube about driving for about an hour around somewhere in Minneapolis ( I believe ). FOR AN HOUR! Street after street with every kind of homeless person you can imagine, with garbage and unsanitary conditions everywhere. Why aren't the BILLIONS of wealth held by the few take precedence over the mass that have nothing?
American Justice? Why not HUMAN justice? REALLY...WHY?
 
Paco Dennis said:
The "housing, period" is the closest the US can come to providing shelter for the homeless. It can not work because the money needed to provide the services to assist the different problems isn't provided. We are able to subsidize the wealthy, or should i say the wealthy subsidize themselves, but the poor and destitute we can't provide a home. I feel like we are living in increasing Feudal times. You remember the stories about the condition of the dwellings and conditions of the serfs slaving for the royalty. There are some horrifying videos on youtube about driving for about an hour around somewhere in Minneapolis ( I believe ). FOR AN HOUR! Street after street with every kind of homeless person you can imagine, with garbage and unsanitary conditions everywhere. Why aren't the BILLIONS of wealth held by the few take precedence over the mass that have nothing?
American Justice? Why not HUMAN justice? REALLY...WHY?
Click to expand...
I agree with your viewpoint.

However, one of the local agencies that does Housing First does provide access to a variety of helping services (treatment, job-readiness, etc.) but the catch is it's voluntary and no one so far has signed up for anything.
 
JaniceM said:
I agree with your viewpoint.

However, one of the local agencies that does Housing First does provide access to a variety of helping services (treatment, job-readiness, etc.) but the catch is it's voluntary and no one so far has signed up for anything.
Click to expand...
Maybe incorporating levels of desirability in accommodations into the program would increase cooporation. Baseline, you get cinder block walls, a window and communal meals. Successfully complete social programs and move up in housing quality, earn a kitchen, a small balcony etc along the process.
 
One of the reasons the homeless problem is so severe in California is their programs for homelessness attract homeless from other parts of the country. That's the paradox of helping them. They get meals and are allowed to pitch their tents without being harassed by the police or put in jail. That's the case in Seattle, too. So homeless people from other parts of the country move to the west coast for an easier existence, which makes the problem worse out there and less severe in states that don't do anything to address the problem.
 
JaniceM said:
It seems similar in other locations, too, but after individuals are given housing they are not required to do anything else- they're not obligated to work, gain education, participate in addiction treatment or mental health services. And, as they cannot be evicted for drug use, it comes to giving people housing where they can use drugs without consequences.
Click to expand...
I suppose if they use drugs the consequences could be going to prison where they have free housing that costs taxpayers a lot more.
The whole criminalization for just having a drug problem seems wrong to me, my limited experience with drug users leads me to believe they have serious mental/psychological/emotional problems, and are usually self-destructive. Especially drug users of anti-anxiety medications and pain-killers, they don't seem like they are basically okay and are doing drugs for fun, they appear to be basically way-way-not-okay and using drugs to cope.
I think the problems are so much more pervasive than just leaving poor and people with problems on the street, the US culture is very disrespectful of humans. The school system keeps telling kids they have to kill themselves with homework or they are going to fail in life, our workplaces have horrid performance reviews that just depress and demoralize most of the staff. I remember during the 2009-10 time period I lost my job when the company closed the location in my city and every week when I filled out the online unemployment form I was left in tears by the vicious threatening wording on every page of the site. It really hurts to be treated like a no-good cheater by a system that has money my previous employers contributed to using money they made because of my good industrious productivity.
When I did foster care and had to learn how to take care of kids who were coming from a hard life, I learned that loving reassurance was what should be offered. And it really worked, a bad misbehaving kid could turn around in seconds by being assured that they were loved and had your support. I think if in our society we and our institutions would try more of that, at least people who were not too damaged to help might do a lot better.
 
I wondered if the "Housing First" method is being tried here in America and I found this

National Alliance to End Homelessness
1518 K Street NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20005


(Tel) 202.638.1526
(Fax) 202.638.4664
info@naeh.org

This is their model...providing on going support for proving homes for the homeless.

https://endhomelessness.org/resource/data-visualization-the-evidence-on-housing-first/

https://endhomelessness.org/why-housing-first-why-not-housing-second-or-third/

https://endhomelessness.org/
 
A quick internet search told me there are fewer than 5,000 homeless people in all of Finland, most of whom are in Helsinki. Thats a much different problem than the 600,000 homeless people spread across 50 states. Add to that the fact that most homeless folks on our streets are mentally ill or on drugs or both and you have a problem that requires a much bigger solution than a roof over one,s head.
 
One thing that differentiates the homeless problem in the U.S. from that of Finland is our proximity to impoverished countries. Pretty much every country south of our southern border is riddled with crime and poverty, which is why so many of their residents do everything they can to get to the U.S., even if that means migrant caravans walking thousands of miles.

Finland, on the other hand, has Sweden, Norway, and Russia on their doorstep, which have pretty comparable standards of living. Russia might be lower, but I don't think Russians are fleeing to Finland for a better way of life. It's also tough to move to Finland without having a means of support lined up.

Finland is also fairly homogeneous. Just look at the photos in the video. The people are almost all white. I'm not saying that's better or worse, but it makes it far easier to address social issues than if you have America's diverse population and wide socioeconomic status range.
 
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