Funny the article touches on Finland's old model being shelters, the system that wasn't working too well and ended up being replaced with the more permanent (but non-mandated... not a prison you know?) Housing. Take it easy on the strawed men Os, you have a nasty left hook.
it's a tough issue, and places where similar solutions have been attempted have seen dissimilar results, e.g., https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/howa...s/stories/homeless-funding-housing-first.html
I'm confused, that's actually in support of the more permanent housing working for Houston... similar to Finland, dissimilar to SD's temporary housing. I skimmed the article though, and I missing something? A tough issue certainly, and even the best of ideas are nothing without great execution.
yes, it worked in Houston and didn't work in San Diego. Critics observe it doesn't seem to be a "one size fits all solution," and there's lots of variability between locations that affect the potential for success. One reason I mentioned NYC: it is highly, highly unlikely that we would be building lots and lots of "tiny houses" for NYC's homeless population (estimated at 80,000) simply because of land values and lack of available land to build 80,000 tiny houses. As opposed to Houston, which is already sprawl city.
again, the concept is 'housing first,' there are different programs for implementing the vision. There are practical problems in each location that will dictate which approach(es) is selected. In Houston, it has apparently worked fairly well in following the Finland model. housing 'not first' is putting the conditions on housing participation (e.g., requirements to be drug-free before being given access to housing). The Finland model--as well as monetary vouchers structures--simply give the housing and or the money first and worry about addressing the underlying causal social pathologies later.
One of the problems with homeless shelters is that it’s often impossible to sleep there. They’re noisy with many of the mentally ill individuals making noise 24/7. There’s also limitations on what possessions can be brought in, and if you have a dog, forget about it. I know if I had a choice between sleeping on the street with all of my valuables or staying awake for days on end and having to abandon my dog and possessions, I’d take the former 10 times out of 10.
and the Helsinki model doesn't easily translate to many American cities. From the OP: But if Housing First is working in Helsinki, where half the country’s homeless people live, it is also because it is part of a much broader housing policy. More pilot schemes serve little real purpose, says Kaakinen: “We know what works. You can have all sorts of projects, but if you don’t have the actual homes … A sufficient supply of social housing is just crucial.” And there, the Finnish capital is fortunate. Helsinki owns 60,000 social housing units; one in seven residents live in city-owned housing. It also owns 70% of the land within the city limits, runs its own construction company, and has a current target of building 7,000 more new homes – of all categories – a year. Again, it's a tough issue, with lots of competing and often conflicting values involved.
I feel like this is the case in my city (Toronto) as well. From what I hear, shelters are not exactly safe, there are people with serious mental illness and violent tendencies in there mixed in with the regular down on their luck folks. There are constant threats of getting robbed or beat up while you are asleep, and as you said constant movements and noise. In some shelters people are openly doing drugs. The staff really aren't paid enough to put their life at risk to control the situation, and it's understandable in a way. Before Covid, a lot of "normal" homeless people choose to sleep inside McDonalds or other 24/7 coffee shops rather than going into a shelter.
As cold as it is in Finland. Maybe building free custom Sauna Barrels, which the Finns are known for excellent craftsmanship of, and have people stay in there for the negative temp winters.
Can someone tell me the demographics of the homeless people in Finland ? Their criminals seem different too
