1. Strategic Innovation

2. Contents USA Finland Long term and repeated homelessness
Family homelessness
Finland
Comprehensive and coordinated strategy
Outcomes
Other examples

3. North America
Key issue in the USA is long-term and repeated homelessness linked to high support needs
Costs: Million Dollar Murray
Existing ‘housing ready’ models not working
Attractions of prevention in terms of costs
In USA, some concerns about family homelessness, though main efforts are around veterans

4. North America
Source: Los Angeles County

5. Prevention and Housing-Led Services
Two stage strategy
Array of preventative services
All familiar, mediation, housing advice, support against unfair/illegal eviction, rapid re-housing models
Housing-led responses, using various combinations of mobile support teams and ordinary housing
Housing First, Critical Time Intervention (CTI) etc.
Confusingly called ‘supported housing’ whereas we would say floating support, tenancy sustainment etc.

6. Prevention Americans tried to target
Found it very difficult to be accurate
And that the effects of prevention could be mixed
Blanket provision could make only a marginal difference to outcomes
But reviews in New York said it still made financial sense

7. Innovation Housing-led, Housing First and Critical Time intervention
Improved outcomes
In combination with enhanced preventative services
Results around rapid re-housing of families more mixed
Rapid re-housing is, in effect, LHA/Housing Benefit, but time limited, works while in place

8. Successes
Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

9. Successes
31% reduction in level of chronically homeless people between in USA
29% of homeless people were chronically homeless in 2007, falling to 23% in 2015 in USA
13% reduction in overall homelessness between
Some reductions in homeless children

10. Finland
Finland is perhaps the best example of a truly coordinated National homelessness strategy
Bringing together homelessness NGOs, “Y Foundation”, municipal and central government
Response has also been comprehensive:
Development of preventative services and successes in homelessness prevention
Specialist services for particular groups, e.g. young people and former prisoners
A range of supported housing services alongside Housing First

11. Innovation Housing ‘social work’ as part of the preventative offer
Alongside the more familiar services offering housing advice, mediation, prevention of eviction
Housing First programme and related services, housing-centred, mobile, flexible support
Built new affordable, social rented housing

12. Targeting Long-Term Homelessness
Substantial success in reducing long-term homelessness
The most individually, socially and economically damaging form of homelessness has been reduced
This has not been accomplished on the same scale elsewhere, though not unprecedented, e.g. London

13. Successes
Long term homelessness fell by 1,200 people between
Which may not sound a lot…
But total homelessness in Finland in 2015 was 7,100 people (including families)
Finland is close to achieving a functional zero in homelessness
Homelessness is minimised, not accumulating

14. Successes
Source: Y Foundation

15. Successes
Source: ARA

16. Challenges No matter how coordinated
Or how effective prevention and other homelessness services are
Run into problems once affordable housing supply is insufficient
Cannot coordinate or plan your way out of a housing shortage
This was recognised, the Finns built and bought more social housing
But housing supply remains an issue

17. Limits of Strategy
Is the potential to save money through innovation in prevention and homelessness services
Which can at least offset the costs of reform
Can improve outcomes and reduce total levels of homelessness
Including long-term and recurrent homelessness
But cannot organise a way of not needing affordable housing and other resources

18. More Information Review of the Finnish Strategy
On CHP website
And