RADAR refines the picture of homelessness and how to end it

The RADAR research project brought together a group of experts in homelessness to a roundtable discussion at the Oodi central library on the 20th of May. The preliminary results of the research project were presented at the event, and a workshop was organised for the participants to discuss the results and gather views on how the results of the research project can be utilised in homelessness work. The event was organised by Asunto ensin Verkostokehittäjät (Housing First Network Developers).

Gaining a clearer picture of homelessness and efforts to end it

The impact of homelessness and the Asunto ensin model has not been studied in Finland in such detail before. The RADAR project, which will end in 2026, has already produced valuable new information on homelessness and homelessness work. The preliminary results have both confirmed existing perceptions and highlighted new phenomena and perspectives.

Who are the homeless?

Tracking the development of homelessness is largely based on annual reports compiled by ARA, but these provide only a limited picture of the backgrounds of people experiencing homelessness. By combining different register data, the RADAR data allows for a more detailed and comprehensive examination of the phenomenon.

The study has refined the picture of, for example, the age distribution of people experiencing homelessness. Homelessness is more common among younger age groups. More than half of those experiencing homelessness are under 35 years of age, and about one-fifth are over 55. The results confirm the observations of professionals who encounter homeless people in their work that stereotypes of homeless people as older men do not correspond to the current situation.

The research data highlights the link between socioeconomic factors and homelessness. Immigrant background, unemployment and low educational attainment are clearly overrepresented. Nearly 90% of those experiencing homelessness do not have a high school diploma.

Although homeless people may in some cases have a long history of home ownership and even those in employment may end up homeless, the study confirms the understanding that homelessness is closely linked to inequality.

The information on the backgrounds of people who have experienced homelessness is based on RADAR’s research component in Turku.

The effectiveness of the Housing First model

RADAR is also studying the Housing First model and how providing housing and support affects the use of social and health services, for example. The aim is to calculate the cost impact of the Housing First model by comparing those who received housing and support quickly with those who had to wait between six months and two years.

The results on the cost impact will be available later, but preliminary findings are in line with international research results. The costs associated with homelessness are unevenly distributed: some use services only to a limited extent, while others place a particularly heavy burden on services such as emergency accommodation[EL1] and first aid.

Extensive use of services significantly increases the costs arising from homelessness. A small number of homeless people needed first aid, i.e. urgent emergency assistance provided on site[EL2], more than 50 times during the six-year review period. On average, this means that emergency situations occurred eight times a year or, in the worst cases, every other week.

The link between homelessness and health was also tragically evident in deaths. Of the 1049 people experiencing homelessness in the study, 73 died during the six-year review period at an average age of 50. Improving services for homeless people is literally a matter of life and death for those experiencing homelessness.

The Housing First model helps people experiencing homelessness by providing them with housing and the necessary support. Based on preliminary findings, the results of the Housing First model are positive. Those who received the help and housing they needed appear to have achieved stability in their living situation.

If services were not provided quickly, homelessness typically continued and became prolonged. Only a few people experiencing homelessness manage to find housing without support. The initial findings were in line with expectations, but more in-depth analysis is needed to confirm them.

In 2018 and 2019, more than a quarter of homeless people in Helsinki had to wait more than two years for support or did not receive any support at all. Almost 45% were able to access services within a month. Fortunately, the situation improved in the following years, and the number of long-term homeless people in Helsinki has been halved from 2019 levels.

Homelessness affects

One finding that surprised researchers was related to the demographic data of people experiencing homelessness: around 40% had biological children of their own. The ages of the children were not specified, and they may also be over 18 years old.

In Finland, homelessness among families is exceptionally rare compared to other countries, and the majority of homeless people live alone. For this reason, the perspective of families is often overlooked, even though research shows that it can be significant. Thousands of Finns have a parent who has experienced homelessness, which undoubtedly causes concern, sadness and feelings of insecurity within families.

More about RADAR

The RADAR research project consists of two separate research components. Y-Foundation researcher Elisabetta Leni is studying the cost implications of the Housing First model in Helsinki and Espoo. The data includes people who were homeless in 2018 and 2019 and who were waiting for housing services, and information about them has been collected over a period of six years.

Veera Niemi, a researcher at the University of Turku, is studying the housing, service and benefit pathways of homeless people in Turku. The data includes people identified as homeless in the 2022 and 2023 homelessness counts.

RADAR produces information to help eliminate homelessness, and cooperation with actors in the field of homelessness will continue throughout the project.