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Finland's Housing First

April 01 2025

England should look to Finland for inspiration to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness. By Emma Ireland

Why is it that England has yet to see a decrease in rough sleeping when Finland is on track to eradicate it by 2027? Admittedly the population of Finland is around 10% of the population of England, but whilst one in 250 people in the UK experience homelessness, it is around one in 1,700 in Finland, not to mention the worrying fact that the number of people living on the streets in London is increasing – by a staggering 26% in the past year. There’s a lot to be learned from other countries and their approach to homelessness, especially the scale of the Finnish Housing First programme.

Housing First is a policy Finland embraced in 2008 with the goal of eradicating homelessness – and they're on track to do exactly that. The programme looks at the long-term solution for rough sleepers, shifting away from short-term and toward keeping people in houses and providing stability with accessible housing support and benefits.

From 2008 to 2022, those experiencing long-term homelessness dropped by 68% thanks to the programme. Those it helps are placed in housing and given the appropriate government-issued benefits so they can pay their rent, giving them security whilst they find jobs. The programme seeks to target those at risk of becoming homeless, such as young people, people undergoing rehabilitation, or homeless released prisoners. It's not about waiting until people desperately need the help, it's trying to catch them before it happens.

With government officials calling homelessness a “lifestyle choice”, the cost of living surging and the Tories completely failing to deliver on their promises to help decrease homelessness before their term ended, Downing Street desperately needs some policy inspiration. So what can the UK Government learn from Housing First?

In England, local authorities have piloted small-scale Housing First initiatives since as long ago as 2010. A national scheme such as Housing First would greatly benefit our homeless population, seeking to offer long-term support and catch those at risk before they are on the streets. In fact, a larger-scale trial in England supports the argument for Housing First policy. In 2017, £28m was divvied out between combined authorities in Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region and the West Midlands for Housing First pilot schemes. A 2024 report into the pilot commissioned by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities made for positive reading.

In total, 1,061 people were supported into independent tenancies through the scheme, with a tenancy sustainment rate of 84% after three years, a figure not dissimilar to international Housing First schemes.

There are plenty of differences between England and Finland ensuring that whole-scale adoption of the Housing First approach wouldn’t be a simple procedure. The government has failed to provide enough affordable housing, making renting and buying more difficult than ever, pushing not only more people into homelessness but also making it harder for those already homeless to get housing. James Gleeson, housing policy wonk (as he puts it) at the Greater London Authority, found that England has far fewer houses per 1,000 people than Finland, with England having 434 and Finland 516. Out of all the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, England falls far below the average of 487. Not to mention that, out of those houses that are available, the price is unattainable for most people – with prices rising higher while salaries stay low.

It is naive to whittle the homelessness crisis in England down to one issue, but ultimately once more affordable social housing is in place, we can expect things to improve from there. Whilst it's unfortunately not as simple as that, it's a strong place to start. It's expensive but, long-term, is far more cost-effective for the government.

A scheme such as Housing First could work, but we need the right resources to actually get the programme off the ground. If the government focused on getting the housing the public needs – and making it accessible – then a successful programme could follow. Hopefully, the new Labour Government will see this through, and for the first time in years, the number of homeless people will decrease.

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