We are nurse students from UC Diakonissestiftelsen in Denmark. Our common interest in people with mental health issues is what brought us to Helsinki to participate in the intensive course Mental Health and Wellbeing - focus on homeless and underprivileged populations.
Among the many interesting subjects throughout the course we found the project about housing first extraordinarily interesting. Life on the street can be hard and some of the people living there is in contact with crime, abuse, and violence.
Housing first - also in Denmark
This is also a problem in Denmark, where a similar strategy is used to reduce homelessness. The idea of the project is that having a home is seen as a human right. When you have a home, you have a safe base, which can increase stability in your daily life. Viewing people holistically is of the essence in the danish housing first model, which we find to be in line with the holistic Diakonia mindset.
Housing units in Helsinki
We visited housing units where we were taught about these particular housing units' visions and approach. Through harm reduction and reducing the amount drug abuse the health care professionals aim to help the rehabilitation process. The basic idea is not to force the residents with substance abuse to become clean but instead to help them manage and overcome challenges in everyday life. The health care professionals of the Vanha Viertotie housing unit was aspiring to prepare the current residents to return to society and potentially the labour marked.
We all found that the professionals at the housing unit did a great job supporting the residents in their everyday life. They treat the people with trust and respect, and see the residents as individuals. As an example the professionals assist the residents by escorting them to municipality arranged activities such as AA-meetings but also by encouraging them to participate in activity groups at the housing unit. By facilitating different groups and engaging residents in forming their own groups, the residents are active participants in positive and beneficial activities.
We all found that the professionals at the housing unit did a great job supporting the residents in their everyday life. They treat the people with trust and respect, and see the residents as individuals. As an example the professionals assist the residents by escorting them to municipality arranged activities such as AA-meetings but also by encouraging them to participate in activity groups at the housing unit. By facilitating different groups and engaging residents in forming their own groups, the residents are active participants in positive and beneficial activities.
That being said we were surprised that there were no alternative housing or other activities for the people wanting to change and waiting to get a rental at the housing. Furthermore we wondered why there were no limitations to how long the residents could stay at the housing unit. The residents we met were both planning on staying in the facility, which we have ambivalent thoughts about since it is important for the residents to feel that they have a safe permanent place to stay for as long as needed, but at the same time the people waiting for a rental might be in greater need of a place to stay.
Who are we?
Marie Kofoed Hutters (23), Danmark, UC Diakonissestiftelsen, 3rd year Nursing student
Line Aagaard Pedersen (31), Danmark, UC Diakonissestiftelsen, Nursing student
Nicoline Ellebæk Pedersen (22), Danmark, UC Diakonissestiftelsen, 2nd year Nursing student
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