Helping the Homeless by Learning From Others

There are few that would argue that the UK needs to take some drastic steps to deal with the homelessness problems. While the government has implemented what they feel are some important steps, there is still much to be done. But dealing with a homelessness problem of such magnitude is no easy task. There are some that are saying that the UK could learn from other countries in order to help get some solutions for this.

What Did Finland Do?

Finland has set the example for the world over when it comes to dealing with a homeless crisis. The UK could take a lot of what this country has done and implement some of their strategies.

What Finland did was tackle the problem of homelessness head-on. They identified what the priority was. Which happens to be the fact the homeless are this way because they don’t have homes. The first step was to get these people off the streets into homes that could be theirs.

The focus was not placed on temporary fixes. Which is what some of the steps that the UK is taking really are. For example, putting money into temporary shelters. Or trying to set up temporary places to help feed those on the streets.

Finland developed a housing first strategy. They took their temporary housing facilities and turned them into housing units. The government worked closely with all the different levels and departments to come up with viable solutions.

As a result of all of the efforts and proper techniques used to combat homelessness in Finland, they can boast of a great success. They are the only country that can claim that their homelessness is on the decline. One of the approaches taken was to first provide affordable housing then financial support as needed.