All in all, homeless people found themselves trapped. But in 2008 the Finnish government introduced a new policy for the homeless with the 'Housing First' concept. Since then, the number of people affected by homelessness has fallen sharply.
Finland committed to eradicating homelessness by 2027
Since 2008, Housing First has been a national policy in Finland, and to date there are up to 3,000 Housing First units in Helsinki.
The two countries that handle homelessness the best are Finland and Japan. Therefore, we will look at how these two countries have approached homelessness to determine exactly which country handles homelessness best.
The process of deinstitutionalization involved the elimination of mental institutions, which then led to an increase of people living the street. Denmark, in comparison, worked on improving mental institutions (Hansen 115), which resulted in a lower rate of homelessness (Benjaminsen and Dyb 49).
Nobody Sleeps on the Streets in Iceland
Sure, there are homeless people in this country, but they usually spend their nights in shelters, not sleeping roughly on the streets, and not begging for money. People simply wouldn't survive sleeping outside during the Icelandic winters.
Hungary is the only country where criminalization of homelessness is addressed in its constitution, which is seen as part of a broader illiberal governance in the country. Sleeping in a public space is illegal and violators can be fined or jailed.
An investigation by the Norwegian National Institution for Human Rights (NIM) has concluded that the law violates fundamental human rights. In 2013, the city introduced an absolute ban on anyone sleeping in public places, which has even covered sleeping in cars.
Since several years, homelessness has decreased in Finland, and the current government has a plan to end homelessness completely by 2027. It means that we are producing a certain amount of affordable social housing and also providing support services for homeless people with our own housing-first model.
Since 2007, their government has built homeless policies on the foundations of the "Housing First" principle. Put simply, it gives rough sleepers or people who become homeless a stable and permanent home of their own as soon as possible. It then provides them with the help and support they need.
Homelessness can be solved through providing more safe and affordable housing, ensuring people's incomes allow them to afford housing and other essentials, and providing support where needed for people to get into and sustain a home.
122,494 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness at the time of the 2021 Census, an increase of 6,067 people (5.2%) since 2016. The rate of homelessness decreased to 48 people per 10,000, from 50 in 2016. Of those experiencing homelessness in 2021: 68,516 (55.9%) were male, an increase of 1.6% from 2016.
Africa. The country with the highest number of homeless people in Africa is Nigeria. Nigeria is also the country with the biggest homeless population in the world. With a homeless population of 24,400,000 out of 216 million citizens, Nigeria has a homeless rate of 11.3%.
Oftentimes, the homeless will set up their shelters along remote locations such as riverbanks. If the homeless have shelter in crowded areas like subway stations, they will remove themselves during peak hours.
A Scandinavian country is close to eliminating homelessness with a simple solution. Communities around the world are racing to copy it. The number of homeless in Helsinki sank to around 2,200 earlier this year, putting the Finnish capital on track to eliminate homelessness by 2025.
In 2014, Swiss authorities reportedly began allowing homeless people to sleep in fallout shelters built during the Cold War. There are a number of centers for providing food for the homeless, including the Suneboge community center.
Today. Nevertheless, the state is still obliged to give permanent shelter for free to anybody who needs better living conditions or has no permanent registration. This is because the right to shelter is still included in the constitution. However, this may take many years.
[“Homelessness in Norway 2020 – a survey.”] ISBN: 978-82-8309-340-7. The reduction in the number of homeless people is a result of national cooperation and a long-term integrated strategy for housing and support services.
Government Initiatives to Fight Homelessness
One of the first major policies announced to combat homelessness in Norway was Project Homeless. Project Homeless was launched from 2001 to 2004 and led a collaborative effort among multiple government departments to develop effective methods for combatting homelessness.
The experience of Finland over the past several decades – during which the country has nearly eradicated homelessness – provides a glimpse of what can be possible with a sustained national strategy and enduring political will.
So, more than a decade after the launch of the “Housing First” policy, 80 per cent of Finland's homeless are doing well, still living in the housing they'd been provided with — but now paying the rent on their own. This not only helps the homeless, it turns out to be cheaper.
In Australia, homelessness can affect people of all ages, men, women, and children from different circumstances. Most of us do not see the full impact it can have in our communities.
Homelessness in Denmark is considered a significant social issue in the country.
According to the Social Ministry in 2016, 15,090 people were registered as homeless. This is 3,690 people more than in the base year of 2008, when 11,400 people were recorded (an increase of 32%). This data can only be seen as the bottom line of homelessness in Austria as the acquisition of data is incomplete.