”The number of people seeking shelter is increasing,” says Director Sanna Sunikka of a homeless shelter in Helsinki's Töölö district. Her comments are supported by figures released by the Housing Finance and Development Center of Finland (ARA) that reveal the actual number of homeless people is on the increase.
Sunikka adds that while people move away from her shelter every day, beds are quickly filled by new clients. Some 70 people bunk at the shelter every night. Numbers have increased compared to last winter.
”Very cold weather and peoples’ changing circumstances also cause peaks in the need for shelter,” she adds.
Many residents are unable to afford the one euro price for either lunch or dinner. However, a night at the shelter comes with a free breakfast.
The Töölö shelter rooms 104 overnighters. However, the shelter was recently a sanctuary for 137 visitors seeking refuge from the bitterly cold night.
It is estimated there are around 2,500 long-term homeless people in Finland.