The following words are taken from the publication HOME FOR ALL, by Finland’s Y-Foundation.
Finland is the only country in the European Union where homelessness has been decreasing. The small Nordic country is hailed as a model for homelessness work and Finnish expertise is in high demand. One of the factors behind Finland’s success is the Y-Foundation, whose human yet effective operating model is internationally unique…
The Y-Foundation was established in 1985, when homelessness in Finland was alarmingly high…
Homelessness has decreased significantly in Finland in recent decades. This trend differs from that of other EU countries. The Y-Foundation has been a major developer and driving force of homelessness work in Finland.
The Y-Foundation is a Finnish non-profit foundation that is internationally recognized as one of the pioneers of homelessness work…
The Y-Foundation’s work is based on the Finnish Housing First model. According to this principle, the first thing you need is an apartment. Once you have that, you can start building the rest of your life. Other housing support services are accessed and provided later. An own apartment is a human right, not a reward that a person gets when everything else is in order.
This principle is very distinct from traditional homelessness work where a homeless person must first become rehabilitated and “fit for housing” before they are offered an apartment. The Housing First model also emphasises the residents’ independence, freedom of choice and integration into society…
Homes for all kinds of needs
The Y-Foundation rents two kinds of apartments: Y-Kodit apartments designed for special groups (or groups with special housing needs) and affordable M2-Kodit apartments…
The Y-Kodit apartments are designed for those who experience homelessness or face the threat of becoming homeless, and those who have trouble finding a home. Most of these apartments are studios or small one-bedroom apartments…
M2-Kodit is a subsidiary of the Y-Foundation that was established to offer affordable rental apartments to people who do not belong to the special groups mentioned above. The M2-Kodit apartments are regular rental flats and applicants with little private wealth or low income are prioritised in the resident selection process…
In addition to building and acquiring apartments, the Y-Foundation offers housing counselling and employment services for residents…
Key takeaways
Prioritise the person.
Homelessness is not a choice. An apartment is a human right, not a reward that a person gets when everything else is in order. The Housing First model based on this principle provides the basis for the Y-Foundation’s work and the Finnish homelessness work in general.
Create partnerships and cherish cooperation.
No one can end an issue as vast and pervasive as homelessness on their own. The Y-Foundation has worked closely and extensively with its Finnish and international partners since its establishment.
Set a specific main goal.
The main objective and most important contribution of the Y-Foundation to Finnish homelessness work is to build and acquire rental apartments. It was not an easy decision to limit the Foundation’s activities, but it helps organise operations and gain results.
Categories: Housing
in-sights.ca 
Dallas is also showing us what happens when a city chooses real solutions instead of punishment. In just a few years, Dallas has helped thousands of people move from encampments into housing — and as a result, every homeless tent in the downtown core is gone. Not because people were pushed out, arrested, or forced to relocate, but because they were offered permanent housing (Housing First) — the one thing that actually ends homelessness.
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Housing First?
For that to happen on any scale various wealthy nations would have to take the UN’s 1948 declaration seriously.
Fact is: they don’t.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-housing/human-right-adequate-housing
“Increasingly viewed as a commodity, housing is most importantly a human right. Under international law, to be adequately housed means having secure tenure—not having to worry about being evicted or having your home or lands taken away. It means living somewhere that is in keeping with your culture, and having access to appropriate services, schools, and employment.”
“Too often violations of the right to housing occur with impunity. In part, this is because, at the domestic level, housing is rarely treated as a human right. The key to ensuring adequate housing is the implementation of this human right through appropriate government policy and programmes, including national housing strategies.”
“The right to adequate housing in human rights law”
“Adequate housing was recognized as part of the right to an adequate standard of living in article 25 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in article 11.1 of the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Other international human rights treaties have since recognized or referred to the right to adequate housing or some elements of it, such as the protection of one’s home and privacy. “
“The right to adequate housing is relevant to all States, as they have all ratified at least one international treaty referring to adequate housing and committed themselves to protecting the right to adequate housing through international declarations, plans of action or conference outcome documents. Various international treaties and declarations referring to the right to adequate housing are available at the following link.”
“The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has underlined that the right to adequate housing should not be interpreted narrowly. Rather, it should be seen as the right to live somewhere in security, peace and dignity. The characteristics of the right to adequate housing are clarified mainly in the Committee’s general comments No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing and No. 7 (1997) on forced evictions.”
“What wealthy states increasing take very seriously is relieving their richest from a tax “burden”. Curious, no? For everyone else it’s the price you pay to keep the country going. For the rich – it’s a political crucifixion.”
View at Medium.com
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/08/billionaire-tax-california
“Tech titans divided over whether to pay billionaire tax or flee California”
“State residents worth more than $1bn could face one-off, 5% tax to help fund education, food assistance and healthcare”
“A battle is brewing in California over a plan to tax billionaires – with tech titans divided over whether they should pay up, or flee the state.”
“Under a tax proposal that could be put to voters this November, any California resident worth more than $1bn would have to pay a one-off, 5% tax on their assets to help cover education, food assistance and healthcare programs in the state.”
“Several Silicon Valley figures have already threatened to leave California and take their business elsewhere. But Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia whose net worth is nearly $159bn, told Bloomberg Television this week that he is “perfectly fine with it”.
“We chose to live in Silicon Valley,” Huang said. “And whatever taxes I guess they would like to apply, so be it.”
“This puts Huang in stark contrast with the Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel and Donald Trump’s AI and crypto czar, the venture capitalist David Sacks, all of whom have recently indicated they are leaving California for tax-friendlier states including Florida and Texas.”
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I appreciate your thoughtful comments.
Perhaps you could examine the housing policies in Vienna, where individuals looking to live independently in a modest social housing unit might pay as little as C$600 monthly. Here, we don’t have an equivalent supply of publicly owned units, but the private sector would rent a 1-bedroom apartment for something exceeding C$2,000 a month.
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Who adamantly opposes Housing First (even for military vets)?
In his Infinite Compassion, The Chosen One, His Highness, D J Trump says no way.
During Donald Trump’s second presidency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) plans to redirect $3.9 billion away from Housing First — a program that got underway under President Bill Clinton during the 1990s. .
Trump officials are attacking Housing First as ineffective and claiming that it isn’t doing enough to reduce homelessness, especially in major U.S. cities. But according to policy experts interviewed by the New York Times, the program is working much better than Trump allies appointed to HUD say it is.
Times reporter Jason DeParle, in an article published on Christmas Day 2025, explains, “The administration called the policy a permissive approach that had let homelessness rise, while supporters said Housing First was backed by proven science. Housing First provides chronically homeless people long-term subsidized housing and offers, but does not require treatment for mental illness or addiction. It contrasts with programs that condition help on sobriety or work, which Trump officials want to encourage — though there is less direct research to suggest their efficacy.”
DeParle adds, “Few aid policies have been studied as extensively as Housing First, and supporters’ faith that it is ‘evidence-based’ lends the debate special intensity. Extensive research shows that Housing First places large shares of its clients in housing. It also appears to have played a major role in cutting homelessness among veterans, which has fallen by more than half.”
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Before 2000 the most I ever paid to occupy a luxury high rise = $800/mth.? It was a 16th floor one-bedroom overlooking the West Van mountains and English Bay Swimming pool ion the main floor. Easily affordable.
Downtown. Near the banking sector. Working six or seven days a week it was Perfect.
Granted a much larger unit in West Van did cost less and had the laundry room on the Penthouse levelo. But to get to work you had to take a bus.
Whether frazzled by work stress or “oblimmnated” after spending hours with colleagues at a peeler bar at least if your digs were nearby you could crawl home.
Now? Bottom basement rent is suddenly $2000/mth and soon to rise.
Public benefit? ZERO.
Why doesn’t that matter?
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Since you asked about Vienna…
“How does Vienna’s social housing model work?”
“A: Vienna’s social housing model is built on a threefold subsidy system that keeps costs low and quality high. The city actively acquires or mobilizes land reserves, then sells or leases them cheaply to nonprofit developers. These companies receive subsidized construction loans, and if rents remain too high, tenants get direct subsidies. Crucially, this housing is for a broad middle-class population, not just the poorest, and residents aren’t forced out as incomes rise—helping maintain stable, mixed communities.”
“Why are developer competitions important in Vienna?”
“A: Developer competitions ensure that every new social housing project meets strict standards for architecture, affordability, environmental performance, and social mix. Companies submit designs judged on these criteria, which encourages innovation and variety—from family units to elderly-friendly spaces. This process has produced buildings with amenities like saunas, kindergartens, clinics, libraries, and even rooftop pools, all while keeping
construction costs about half of those in cities like Seattle.”
“How does Vienna combine density with livability?”
“A: Vienna achieves high density without sacrificing quality by concentrating mid-rise (five-to-eight-story) buildings around vast parks and ensuring excellent public transport access. Instead of isolated high-rises, there’s a continuous “broad density” across neighborhoods, paired with green space integration. This approach allows many more apartments for young families while maintaining architectural quality, open recreation areas, and sustainable mobility options.”
https://socialhousing.wien/policy/the-vienna-model
“The roughly 220,000 municipal flats and around 200,000 subsidised dwellings of Vienna make up the cornerstone of social housing in the city. Roughly 50 percent of Vienna’s population live in one of these two housing types. Social housing strives for a more equitable society that involves both the middle class and lower-income groups.”
“Uniform and transparent allocation criteria allow for a good social mix in social housing estates and make sure that the middle class, too, has access to this large and still growing pool of dwellings. At the same time, affordable rents boost purchasing power. The large share of social housing contributes towards more affordable prices for a major proportion of the entire housing market.”
“Moreover, the sustained efforts towards “gentle urban renewal”, too, play a role towards keeping housing in general affordable and also safeguard about 20,000 jobs in the construction industry. This reflects a long tradition in Vienna and is likewise strongly supported by the population – a historic achievement that must be preserved for future generations.”
“At the same time, Vienna advocates the improvement of environmental and climate protection. Social housing construction helps to cut around 371,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.”
What other benefits could such a mode offer?
Consider: You are a professional seeking new employment. You are experienced in health care, or administration, construction or education, whatever.
On the web you find two job offers. Wages and benefits in both look competitive What’s the crucial difference? In Vienna housing cost means that whatever your income you can afford to live ther, work there. and prosper.
Compare that to?
Canada…
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