Housing First and the reduction of homelessness in Finland among people with substance abuse problems




Karhula, Aleksi; Ollonqvist, Joonas; Leni, Elisabetta; Niemi, Veera; Moisio, Pasi

Jani Erola, Pasi Moisio, Johanna Peltoniemi

PublisherEdward Elgar Publishing

2026

Beyond the Nordic Welfare State. Extending Social Investments with Interventions.

175

206

978-1-03-537543-1

978-1-03-537544-8

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.4337/9781035375448.00019

https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035375448.00019

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/515628143



Finland's response to homelessness is based on Housing First, a comprehensive approach that combines unconditional access to housing, tailored support, and homelessness prevention. The Finnish studies have relied on mixed-methods data, but the use of national level register data has been quite narrow. We analyze the implementation of Housing First programs (PAAVO I, PAAVO II, and AUNE) and their temporal correlations with the number of homeless people with substance use problems, their likelihood of being alive two years after the treatment period, and their housing situation two years after the treatment period. Homeless people with substance use problems are identified from the national registers based on their visits to substance use treatment services. Our results show that the number of homeless people with substance abuse problems has declined during the time of Housing First programs (2008–2017), there has been very little change in their mortality, but a larger share had permanent housing two years after the treatment period.


Last updated on 02/03/2026 08:56:09 AM