4 ms·

Helsinki's Radical Solution to Homelessness

8 points by leksak 7y ago

tom_mellior 7y ago
So fed up with these stupid clickbait headlines for good, interesting, useful articles. Here's the subtitle blurb in case you weren't sure whether to click: "Finland is the only EU country where homelessness is falling. Its secret? Giving people homes as soon as they need them – unconditionally" As for the policy, it seems eminently sensible to me (but then I'm a UBI supporter as well). I note that the article doesn't seem to say how people pay rent if they have no income. It does mention housing benefits, so maybe those cover everything.
- leksak 7y ago
  I'm merely assuming that housing benefits is the mechanism through which they are able to pay rent. Or a combination between a housing subsidy and other allowances.
- leksak 7y ago
  If I could edit the submission I'd change the title to your suggestion but I thought it was good custom on HN to use the same title as the article itself uses (you'll notice I omitted the miracle-bit) which I've assumed makes it easier to detect dupes (although, of course, that could be done on a URL-basis)
  - tom_mellior 7y ago
    To be clear, I'm not criticizing you! I'm criticizing the Guardian, which should be better than this. The HN rules are clear, and you followed them. And the rules even made sense when they were created and the Internet was less dumb than nowadays.
- smn1234 7y ago
  perhaps it's gone over my head as I read the article, but now I'm curious... homeless in American cities are commonly also associated with mental health issues, whereas in this frame the population is unable to find accommodation? Did I miss something ?
  - tom_mellior 7y ago
    I guess they have social workers that help those with milder issues to find their way around, and make sure that those with more severe problems get treatment in a medical facility. So many things are straightforward in a society where the first question about health issues isn't "how are you going to pay for treatment?".

8 points by leksak 7y ago

So fed up with these stupid clickbait headlines for good, interesting, useful articles. Here's the subtitle blurb in case you weren't sure whether to click: "Finland is the only EU country where homelessness is falling. Its secret? Giving people homes as soon as they need them – unconditionally" As for the policy, it seems eminently sensible to me (but then I'm a UBI supporter as well). I note that the article doesn't seem to say how people pay rent if they have no income. It does mention housing benefits, so maybe those cover everything.

leksak 7y ago
I'm merely assuming that housing benefits is the mechanism through which they are able to pay rent. Or a combination between a housing subsidy and other allowances.
leksak 7y ago
If I could edit the submission I'd change the title to your suggestion but I thought it was good custom on HN to use the same title as the article itself uses (you'll notice I omitted the miracle-bit) which I've assumed makes it easier to detect dupes (although, of course, that could be done on a URL-basis)
- tom_mellior 7y ago
  To be clear, I'm not criticizing you! I'm criticizing the Guardian, which should be better than this. The HN rules are clear, and you followed them. And the rules even made sense when they were created and the Internet was less dumb than nowadays.
smn1234 7y ago
perhaps it's gone over my head as I read the article, but now I'm curious... homeless in American cities are commonly also associated with mental health issues, whereas in this frame the population is unable to find accommodation? Did I miss something ?
- tom_mellior 7y ago
  I guess they have social workers that help those with milder issues to find their way around, and make sure that those with more severe problems get treatment in a medical facility. So many things are straightforward in a society where the first question about health issues isn't "how are you going to pay for treatment?".