Helsinki has responded to the homelessness problem by adding 15 staff to its homelessness workforce and two to its housing counselling service. Furthermore, Helsinki has increased outreach substance abuse work and significantly accelerated access to treatment and rehabilitation for people with substance abuse problems.
In addition, Helsinki is currently running a project to eradicate long-term homelessness (2025–2027) as part of the Ministry of the Environment's national homelessness programme. The project involves working in close cooperation with different actors to look for new and effective ways to prevent and eradicate homelessness amid the worsening situation.
As part of the project, the Y-Säätiö foundation provides the City with research data on the realisation and effectiveness of new policies aimed at eradicating long-term homelessness to support decision-making and practical work.
New measures to reduce homelessness
Helsinki has allocated an additional appropriation of €3.5 million for this year to implement measures to reduce long-term homelessness. This year, Helsinki will procure 48 new apartments that will operate on the Housing First principle*. In these units, each resident is assigned a dedicated social worker who works closely with the resident in their living environment and networks.
“We are assessing the current situation of lone homeless people and will plan further measures based on the results,” says Leena Luhtasela, Director of Services for Young People and Adult Social Work at the City of Helsinki.
Concurrent changes have increased homelessness
The increase in the number of unhoused people has been contributed to by concurrent changes in the operating environment, such as cuts in social security, rising costs of living, difficulty in finding housing that goes within the limits of Kela's social security and rising unemployment.
In recent years, the availability of housing in Helsinki has been good compared to the past, which has helped the situation. However, Helsinki’s low level of housing construction, record-breaking population growth and cuts in state-supported housing production will make the situation more difficult in future.
The majority of unhoused people live alone
At the end of 2025, there were 979 unhoused people in Helsinki, compared to 1,800 in 2019. Although Helsinki has succeeded in significantly reducing homelessness through long-term measures, it is concerning that the number started to rise again last year. At the same time, homelessness has also increased in other parts of Finland.
The majority of unhoused people in Helsinki live alone. There are only a few unhoused families in Helsinki, all of whom have temporary accommodation.
Helsinki is committed to eradicating homelessness by 2030. Helsinki is currently preparing its third homelessness programme extending up to 2029, in line with the new City Strategy.
*) The Housing First principle is an approach whereby an unhoused person is first offered housing without conditions, followed by additional support for everyday life. For example, the unhoused person does not need to be sober to receive a home.
