Finland's Housing First (PAAVO) — Helsinki-Led Permanent Housing for Long-Term Homeless People, 33% Fewer Cases but the Elimination Goal Missed

Finland adopted a Housing First strategy in 2007 and ran it as the PAAVO I (2008–2011) and PAAVO II (2012–2015) programmes under the Ministry of the Environment, with the Y-Foundation, a national non-profit housing provider, and cities such as Helsinki as core delivery partners. Homeless people are offered a permanent tenancy first, with support services attached rather than made a precondition.
Reported results: long-term homelessness fell from about 3,600 people in 2008 to 2,400 in 2015 (-33%). PAAVO I delivered 1,519 housing units against a target of 1,250. Funding in 2008–2011 totalled roughly EUR 201 million, mixing investment grants, support-staff subsidies and subsidised loans. A small 15-person pilot estimated annual savings of about EUR 21,000 per person, mainly from fewer hospital visits.
Limits: the PAAVO II aim of eliminating long-term homelessness by 2015 was not achieved; the definition of long-term homelessness left room for interpretation; data were mostly administrative and varied by municipality; the savings estimate comes from a very small sample; evaluators flagged a shortage of affordable rental housing, especially around Helsinki; and some residents objected to the location of new facilities. Later counts show the decline has not been uninterrupted.

Read the full analysis: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/projects/finland-housing-first-model-reduces-migrant-homelessness_en