<
https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/a-paradigm-shift-in-social-policy-how-finland-conquered-homelessness-a-ba1a531e-8129-4c71-94fc-7268c5b109d9>
'Vehi Hinkka says that he really enjoys showering. But how exactly? Warm or
cold? Long or short? Hinkka, a 54-year-old with neatly combed gray hair, a
prominent nose and rough skin, thinks for a bit. He rubs his chin with his
outstreched right index finger and thumb, apparently really considering it. His
gaze wanders across the bare white walls. "So, umm," he says, "I don’t totally
understand the question. I just really like showering, all kinds."
Hinkka, it seems, is no longer used to people taking an interest in his life.
Nor, apparently, is he accustomed to being able to decide how and for how long
he showers.
Hinkka spent much of the last five years living in emergency shelters and on
the streets. On good days, acquaintances would let him sleep in their
apartments. He has been a steady drinker for the last 23 years, says Hinkka –
about as long as the time period since he last had a job. And yet here he is,
in a rather bare one-room apartment with an easy chair, a bed and a
kitchenette. For the last 10 months and nine days, Vehi Hinkka has had his own
apartment. He still remembers the exact date he moved in: February 10, 2023.
Now, he can invite friends to come visit him and play host. He can cook, and he
can shower whenever he wants. Last summer, he says, he showered 10 times a day,
really, no exaggeration. Simply because he felt like it.
Vehi Hinkka is no longer homeless. But he still hasn’t returned to health,
either. Addiction has left its mark on his body and it continues to define his
life. Yet he was still granted an apartment and trusted to pay his rent every
month, which he does. He smiles shyly as he talks about it.
In recent years, thousands of people in Finland have experienced similar
upturns in their fates. Whereas the number of homeless people has been
skyrocketing in Europe in recent years, Finland is the only European Union
member state to have almost completely eliminated the problem. Only around
3,600 people in Finland are currently without a roof over their head, and the
country is aiming to make long-term homelessness a thing of the past by 2027.
In the capital of Helsinki, it is to vanish by 2025.
But how have the Finns managed to do it? And how does a society change when
almost nobody has to live on the street any longer?'
Via
What Could Go Right?
https://theprogressnetwork.org/human-genome-research-diversity/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
