New training and policy guidelines support the expansion of Housing First in Europe

The expansion of the Housing First model in Europe is particularly timely in light of the European Commission’s recent affordable housing plan. Y-Säätiö has published new training and policy recommendations that support the introduction and strengthening of the Housing First model in different countries and service systems.

The recommendations were developed in the European Union’s Erasmus+ funded Adapting Housing First – Innovating Staff project (2023–2025). They respond to the growing need to develop Housing First expertise and ensure that the key principles of the model are implemented in different local contexts.

Utilizing local strengths instead of model compliance

At the heart of the training guidelines is one of the key questions of Housing First work: how to preserve the core values and principles of the work, such as housing as a human right, the normality of housing, and residents’ freedom of choice and self-determination, while adapting the work to the local operating environment and the varying needs and functional capacities of residents.

The guidelines support training participants in distinguishing between harmful deviations from the Housing First principles and acceptable applications that take into account local constraints, such as housing shortages, fragmentation of the service system, or challenges related to support resources, without compromising residents’ rights or the ethical basis of Housing First work. This objective is supported by the multi-agency approach emphasized in the recommendations, which corresponds to the everyday work of Housing First.

In addition to Housing First workers, training should also involve other housing actors and different sectors of the service system: mental health and substance abuse services, services for the elderly, and employment services, as well as local officials and decision-makers, depending on the topic.

Peers and residents are also recognized as key actors and sources of information. Training is encouraged to be organized in a way that reduces hierarchies between professionals and experts by experience and enables safe and equal participation.

“In Finland, Housing First training has been well coordinated and responsive to local needs. At the same time, the key principles of the work have been reinforced. We have sought to spread this model to other countries where Housing First work may operate quite separately from the rest of the service system,” says Riikka Perälä, a researcher who drafted the training recommendations at Y-Säätiö.

Support for European homelessness goals

The publication of the training guidelines supports the European Union’s goals of reducing and ending homelessness. In the European Commission’s affordable housing plan, the Housing First model plays a key role in combating homelessness across Europe.

“The work must make use of existing resources and networks into which the Housing First approach can be integrated. It is not worthwhile to create shadow systems that are funded on a temporary basis without broader connections to surrounding actors. This requires an understanding of Housing First work in different sectors and at different policy levels,” Perälä emphasizes.

The policy recommendations published in connection with the recommendations emphasize, among other things, the development of national and local Housing First plans and the integration of Housing First work into local neighborhood and organizational networks. One key area is the prevention of homelessness, in which Finland has traditionally been one of the leading countries in Europe.

“The prevention of homelessness should be a priority in any work to combat homelessness, including Housing First. Otherwise, nothing will change. Finland has been one of the leading countries in Europe in this regard, combining universal prevention measures, such as housing subsidies and other social security, with more targeted measures, such as housing counseling in situations of housing risk. Unfortunately, this foundation has now been eroded by cuts to social security, among other things, which is reflected in an increase in housing crises in certain areas.”

Adapting Housing First in Europe. Policy Brief and Training Guidelines

Y-Säätiö has published Housing First training and policy recommendations that support the strengthening and expansion of the model in different operating environments and service systems in Europe. The recommendations were developed in the Erasmus+ project Adapting Housing First – Innovating Staff (2023–2025), which examined and developed Housing First work in Finland, Germany, Ireland, and Spain.

The material provides practical guidelines for skills development and multidisciplinary cooperation. The focus is on how to preserve the core values of the Housing First model – housing as a human right, the normality of housing, and residents’ freedom of choice and self-determination – while adapting the model to local conditions without compromising its principles. The policy recommendations emphasize, among other things, the development of national and local Housing First plans, the integration of work into existing networks, and the strengthening of homelessness prevention.

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