Housing first in Finland

In Finland the housing first principle originating from the U.S., has become a challenger to the traditional "staircase" or the "continuum of care" housing service approaches. It is a question about the "change of paradigm" in tackling homelessness. According to the HF-principle housing is a basic need, which is not bound to health or lifestyle and rehabilitation is not a precondition for housing.

Traditional homelessness service models can work well with those who have opted for substance abuse rehabilitation and can cope with shared housing. However, a housing model that insists on the service user being intoxicant-free and able to take control of their life has proven to contain insuperable barriers for many homeless people with multiple problems. (Busch-Geertsema 2010.) What is the housing first principle, what does it mean in the Finnish context and what are the differences between traditional housing service models and HF-model? How does the Finnish housing first implementations differ from the original U.S. model?

Name on the door - development project

A specific Finnish research and development project Name on the door is dedicated to the research of the housing first principle in the Finnish context. The multisectoral project is part of the first National Programme to Reduce Long-Term Homelessness (PAAVO I) and it aims to develop homelessness services that use the housing first principle in four Finnish cities. Meanwhile the project also outlines whether there is a specific Finnish housing first model or approach. The Name on the door project carries out international cooperation by networking with actors developing the housing first principle in other Nordic countries, Europe and in the U.S. Read also news about the Finnish housing first principle and its implementations.