The thought behind creating Vva in 1986 was to get rid of the shelters and make sure that the basic right of housing would be realized for everyone.

In 2008 Finland became the first European country to embrace the Housing First -model, which aims to provide rough sleepers a home as quickly as possible, complete with a personal lease contract that’s permanent and stable. The policy works by phasing out homelessness shelters.

• Permanent housing enables people to live and function independently.

• People can choose how to be involved with services. Giving up intoxicants completely is not required – instead, the approach is one of harm reduction, in a way that respects the person’s autonomy.

• Staff members meet the inhabitants as equals, to build trust and empower them.

• Staff supports each person’s integration into the community and helps them build strong networks.

• Vva still runs housing unit SÄLLIKOTI, with 28 apartments, which was the first piloting project for housing first model in Finland.

Our low-threshold services are aimed at everyone who is homeless or threatened with homelessness. Vepa's activities are open to everyone.

Most of our services are located in Itä-Pasila, Helsinki.  The housing counselor is on call at our organization's office on working days and once a week in Vantaa.

Outreach team with a van
An outreach team Yökiitäjä moves around the metropolitan area. We give advice on homelessness on the phone for people all around Finland.

You can inform the Yökiitäjä staff on duty at night, if you are worried about someone sleeping rough, or if you notice someone whom you believe to be homeless.

Accessibility
Our office's / Vepa's / Kalkkers' entrance has steps. Please contact us and we’ll assist you.

Everyone is accepted into Vepa just the way they are. In Vepa, you can rest, spend time, eat a warm meal, tell about your problems and receive support for the suitable service. Vepa serves a warm meal, coffee, tea and bread. You can wash and dry your clothes. There are a computer and a phone that you can use for running errands.

At Vepa you can contact and reserve an appointment with our housing counselor, to get in contact with a floating support worker and an immigrant specialist. In Vepa, donated clothes are handed out. Peer employees work in Vepa.

Open hours: Mondays to Fridays from 9 AM to 7 PM, except on Thursdays from 9 AM to 2 PM and again from 5 PM to 7 PM.
Vepa is closed in July.

Address: Ratamestarinkatu 6, 00520 Helsinki
Tel. 050 443 1065
vepa@vvary.fi

Night centre Kalkkers is a low threshold crisis spot for the homeless. In Kalkkers you can rest safely, get first aid and some snacks, food, tea and coffee. You can talk about your situation and get help to find suitable services. Kalkkers is open for half a year during the winter time. In Kalkkers donated clothes are handed out. There is also a computer and phone you can use.

Kalkkers does not provide shelter. It offers a warm place to spend the night is for fifteen people regardless of their place of domicile, nationality or  the status of the residence permit. You can get inside also while intoxicated, but the use of substances is prohibited there.

Open times: Monday-Sunday 22-06 (winter season)
Address: Ratamestarinkatu 6 (Itä-Pasila), 00520 Helsinki
Tel. 050 433 1068
kalkkers@vvary.fi

Immigration services are targeted at homeless immigrants, especially when your rights to social security and services are unclear. Our immigration expert helps individually to find out the situation and solutions and guide you to appropriate services. In addition to housing issues, you can learn about your rights to social security and services.

Guidance for migrants:

Heini Puurunen
Tel. +358 44 260 3818
heini.puurunen@vvary.fi
Service in: Finnish, English and Bulgarian.

If you are eligible for social security, speak Finnish and you need the services of a housing counselor, contact our housing counselor.

Read more about our low threshold services in Finnish.

Erja Morottaja
Head of Communication
erja.morottaja@vvary.fi,
Tel. +358 44 773 4700

The number of people experiencing homelessness has increased in Finland, as indicated by the latest statistics from ARA. In 2024, there were 3,806 single homeless individuals, which is 377 more than the previous year.

According to Vailla vakinaista asuntoa ry, it is reasonable to argue that the actual increase in homelessness is larger than the statistics suggest. This is because a significant number of people who are temporarily staying with friends and relatives. They may not be immediately reported by social welfare authorities.

In previous years, the overall decline in the statistics of homelessness was largely due to a decrease in the number of homeless people in Helsinki. This was primarily driven by an increase in housing stock, leading to improved availability of rental apartments. Most of these newly built apartments were not state-subsidized rental units.

“A large number of people with low-income have been living in relatively expensive private rental apartments in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The government's cuts to the housing and income benefits now force these people to give up their homes or they´ll face evictions because they can no longer afford to pay their rents. There is not enough affordable housing in rental market,” explains Jussi Lehtonen, Service Manager at Vailla vakinaista asuntoa ry.

Even in Helsinki, the rents of ARA-financed, self-cost principle-based rental apartments largely exceed the reasonable rent limits set by income support. The situation is worsening because the amount of social and affordable rental apartments cannot meet the demand. Also bureaucratic hurdles and delays in benefit payments can result in tenants losing their homes before they receive help.

“If a person becomes homeless due to benefit cuts, the costs to society increase because they have to rely on various temporary institutional and shelter services. There are no real savings for sociaty,” Lehtonen emphasizes. And there is no price tag for human suffering.

The full extent of homelessness growth is likely not reflected in ARA’s report, as many people are temporarily staying with acquaintances or relatives, and information of their homelessness never reaches social welfare authorities. By the end of 2024, there were 2,378 such ‘hidden homeless’ individuals, an increase of 239 from the previous year.

A particularly alarming trend is the increase in the number of people without any shelter in major cities. According to ARA’s report, 649 people were sleeping rough, in stairwells, or in emergency shelters—a rise of 230 individuals from the previous year. In Helsinki, this number doubled, and in Vantaa, it tripled. At the end of 2024, there were 200 unsheltered people in Helsinki and 73 in Vantaa.

“What explains this drastic increase in the number of people relying on last-resort services?” asks Lehtonen.

“We believe this is not just about a rise in traditional street homelessness. Instead, new groups of people, who previously never needed such services, are now being forced into emergency shelters.”

Vailla vakinaista asuntoa ry demands that the emergency shelters in the largest cities immediately investigate the reasons behind this surge and identify the new groups of people affected. Does the increase in service use indicate a lack of support networks? For example, students have been excluded from general housing benefits.

“It was anticipated that this policy change could lead some students into homelessness. Does the rise in the use of last-resort services confirm these predictions?” Lehtonen speculates.

According to Vva ry, ARA’s homelessness figures reflect the impact of the government’s rapid cost-cutting measures, implemented without sufficient research. In legislative preparation, experts had warned about the consequences of reducing benefits for the most low-income individuals, predicting an increase in homelessness and a heightened risk of homelessness for many people. Besides students, the threat of homelessness now also affects pensioners, low-wage workers, and families with children.

The government justified the benefit cuts with the need for financial savings. However, if a person loses their home due to these cuts, their service needs multiply, and the overall costs to society far exceed the savings of a few hundred euros in housing benefits.

For more information:
Jussi Lehtonen
Service Manager, Vailla vakinaista asuntoa ry
Phone: +358 50 373 0920
Email: jussi.lehtonen(at)vavry.fi

Vailla vakinaista asuntoa ry (VVA ry) is a nonprofit, politically and religiously independent civic organization founded in 1986 by people who have experienced homelessness. It advocates for the rights of homeless individuals and works to reduce homelessness.
http://vvary.fi/

Homelessness in Finland has steadily declined since the 1980s when there were 20,000 homeless people in the country. The PAAVO programs effectively reduced long-term homelessness from 2008 to 2015. Successive governments—whether right-wing, left-wing, or centrist—were committed to these programs. Finland has been the only EU country where homelessness has decreased despite economic downturns. Programmatic efforts to address homelessness have mitigated and counteracted the effects of economic recessions.

Until recent years, homelessness work focused on prevention and reducing recurrence. Previous government programs tackled the underlying causes of homelessness by strengthening overall societal well-being and ensuring an adequate housing supply. Additionally, efforts were made to support at-risk groups and prevent evictions. Homeless individuals themselves were also targeted, preventing relapses into homelessness and alleviating its consequences.t