Homelessness in Finland affected 4,396 people at the end of 2021. Long-term homelessness affected 1,318 people.

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and Denmark are the only

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

countries where the long term homelessness trend has been falling. Homelessness in Finland had fallen for eleven years in a row before increasing in February 2025 (figures are from previous November, but reported annually in February) due to the rising cost of living and various cuts to social security, housing and income support. Finland has adopted a

Housing First Housing First is a policy that offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to homeless people, and other supportive services afterward. It was first discussed in the 1990s, and in the following decades became government policy ...

policy, whereby

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

assign homeless individuals homes first, and issues like

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

and

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

are treated second. Since its launch in 2008, the number of homeless people in Finland has decreased by roughly 30%, though other reports indicate it could be up to 50%. The number of long-term homeless people has fallen by more than 35%. "Sleeping rough", the practice of sleeping outside, has been largely eradicated in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, where only one 50-bed night shelter remains. Analysis of Housing First in

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

, Finland found that it saved

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

250,000 in one year. A further study of Finland's Housing First program found that giving a homeless person a home and support resulted in cost savings for the society of at least €15,000 per person per year, with potentially even higher cost savings in the long term. These cost savings for society are in part a result of reductions in usage of emergency healthcare, police, and the justice system when homeless people are given a home. The

Constitution of Finland The Constitution of Finland ( or ) is the supreme source of national law of Finland. It defines the basis, structures and organisation of government, the relationship between the different constitutional organs, and lays out the fundamental right ...

mandates that public authorities "promote the right of everyone to housing". In addition, the constitution grants Finnish citizens "the right to receive indispensable subsistence and care", if needed. Since 2002, the Night of the Homeless event has been hosted throughout the country. The events include demonstrations, food distribution, and movie screenings, among other activities.

Statistics

Since 1987, the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (; ARA) has been publishing annual statistics related to homelessness. The figures are collected independently by the

municipalities of Finland The municipalities (; ) represent the local level of administration in Finland and act as the fundamental, self-governing administrative units of the country. The entire country is incorporated into municipalities and legally, all municipalities ...

, leading to minor inconsistencies in reporting. ARA publishes data on homeless families and homeless people living alone separately. The majority of homeless people reside in larger cities, notably in the capital region. Over 60 percent of Finland's homeless population resides in the

Greater Helsinki Helsinki metropolitan area (, ) or Greater Helsinki (, ) is the metropolitan area around Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It also includes the smaller Helsinki capital region, capital region. The terms Helsinki metropolitan area, Greater H ...

area. Homelessness disproportionately affects men, although this gap has been reduced due to recent efforts. Roughly three out of four homeless individuals are male. Some key figures for homeless people in Finland (2019) include the following: * 21% of the homeless are considered long-term homeless * Over 70% of the homeless are male * 18% of the homeless are young (under 25 years old) * 24% of the homeless are

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

Notes

References

External links

Housing is a human right: How Finland is eradicating homelessness

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

(CBC). Published 24 January 2020.
London wants to eradicate homelessness. Here's how Finland is doing it
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Published 28 January 2023. {{Europe topic , Homelessness in

Housing in Finland