Projects for reducing homelessness

The Y-Foundation is closely involved in the national AUNE programme to reduce long-term homelessness. See also our other projects.

The target group of the national AUNE programme is people at risk of homelessness. They may be:

over-indebted,
young people or families threatened with eviction,
youngsters becoming independent from their childhood homes,
mental health and substance abuse rehabilitators moving from institutions to independent living;
after-care clients of child protection services and young people turning 21 and therefore finishing after-care.

Homelessness can also threaten unsuccessful asylum seekers who have lost their residence permit, or prisoners releasing from prison or prisoners transferred to trial leave.

Goals of the AUNE programme are achieved by:

Strengthening prevention of homelessness and
combating recurrence of homelessness.

The action programme includes the designation of 2,500 new housings or places of residence for homeless or risk groups in danger of becoming homeless. The proposed measures aim at reforming our homelessness service system to be more customer-oriented, more preventive and cost-effective.

AUNE projects led by Y-Foundation

AUNE Networking for Development project

AUNE Networking for Development project is a partnership of organisations, funded by STEA (Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations), a platform for co-development of the Homelessness Prevention Action Program (AUNE).

The project develops practices to combat homelessness through extensive collaboration of networks. The project is co-ordinated by the Y-Foundation.

In addition to the Y-Foundation, in AUNE Network Developers are also involved:

The aim of the AUNE action programme is to integrate homelessness work more widely into anti-exclusion work. Housing First principle is also in the centre of this programme.

In practice, this means taking care of housing whenever a customer is encountered in a service system.

Further information: Coordinator Juha Kahila, tel. 020 7020 372, firstname.lastname@ysaatio.fi

Project Sea-Tribe ─ Passage to the Future

The STEA-funded project in 2018–2020 is implemented by the Y-Foundation and the Sail Training Association Finland (STAF). It aims to strengthen young adults’ skills on life management, housing and working life by using adventure education and service counselling.

Project Sea-Tribe’s target group are young adults aged 18-30 who live in challenging life situations in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.

The project aims to develop a new approach and involves a multi-disciplinary network of partners. The operating modes are the Sail Training organised by STAF with different lengths of sailing on schooner Helena; experience by expertise, peer support and service counselling. Through these activities young people are supported to make friends, find hobbies and to seek education and work.

Further information: Project Manager Heini Kaasalainen, tel. 020 702 0343 and project coordinator Miikka Niemelä, tel. 020 702 0336, firstname.lastname@ysaatio.fi

NEA project ─ Securing Housing for Women

The Y-Foundation co-ordinates the STEA-funded NEA project, Women specificity in Homelessness work in 2018–2020. The aim of this project is to secure housing of women by creating new housing pathways and developing new types of women-specific working methods in individual work, group activities, experience by expertise and low-threshold meeting places.

The project is a joint development project. Sub-projects are implemented by:

Also involved in the project are:

If you want to participate or want to hear about the progress of the project, please contact the project staff. You can also send greetings to the project about the needs, ideas and aspirations you have encountered in your work and in the field with regard to the homelessness of women.

Additional information about project

Further information: Project Manager Leena Lehtonen, tel. 020 702 0344 and Project Coordinator Pilvi Azeem, tel. 020 702 0346, firstname.lastname@ysaatio.fi

Project Toimekas ─ together for a better everyday life!

The goal of the three-year (2017–2019) project Toimekas, co-ordinated by the Y-Foundation and funded by STEA, is to develop meaningful everyday activities in housing services for people experiencing homelessness.

Daily meaningful activities can prevent homelessness and prevent recurrence of homelessness. In addition to the Y-Foundation, the project Toimekas includes:

The target group of the project are the (former) long-term homeless with long-lasting marginalisation in society and everyday management skills, as well as the organisations involved in the development, their employees and experts by experience.

Meaningful everyday life in housing service units is created together with project actors, and solutions are found for factors that prevent and promote participation of residents.

Further information: Senior Specialist Maria Degerman, tel. 020 702 0264, firstname.lastname@ysaatio.fi