According to statistics, homelessness among young people under 25 in Finland is declining. However, our member Deaconess Institute which works with young homeless people on the streets, says the situation looks different. 

“We are encountering more and more young people in difficult situations on the streets of cities. Not all young people may appear in the statistics (…)” says Robert Koski, Project Manager at the Deaconess Institute’s Support Ship project. 

Young homeless people live in an increasingly harsh street culture, in which many grow up from a very young age. “Many people are already so caught up in a street culture that they don’t even want to leave. The longer a young person lives on the street, the worse the situation is not only for the young person himself, but also from the point of view of society as a whole,” says Robert Koski. 

Koski predicts that the situation of young homeless people will deteriorate rapidly if not addressed. What is needed now is more preventive work, closer cooperation and outreach youth work. 

Homeless Night civic movement 

The Deaconess Institute participated in the Homeless Night civic movement event on the 13th of October. The Homeless Night citizens’ movement has organised the event for 20 years, and it calls for measures to combat homelessness. Its general objective is to support everyone’s fundamental right to permanent residence. This year, the common theme of the event is “A future without homelessness”. Read more here.