Read how Finland’s approach to homelessness (hint, it’s housing) saves about $14,000 per person per year in crime, addiction, mental health and emergency health services.
Click here to read the whole article by Patrice Bergeron The Canadian Press
The homeless crisis in Montreal is a priority for many as winter approaches. The Quebec government is investing more than $9 million to help the city of Montreal add nearly 200 emergency shelter beds. As Global’s Elizabeth Zogalis reports, the funds will also allow some existing shelters to provide more services.
As Quebec faces a worsening homelessness crisis, some politicians, including Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand, have suggested the solution may be a Finnish model that aims to give everyone a home.
But while Finland has managed to massively reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness through its “housing first” approach, one Quebec expert said she’s not sure it could be applied here, even if the provincial government was interested.
“It’s the right way to fight the problem of homelessness,” Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen said of his country’s approach in a recent interview.
The Finnish model is simple, he said: give people quality, permanent housing before attempting to address other issues — such as alcohol and drug use, or mental health problems — or helping people find jobs
“That’s really the fundamental idea of our policy, if we give people a home, there will be very positive side-effects,” Vartiainen said….
Click here to read the whole article by Patrice Bergeron The Canadian Press
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