17 | Experiencing Home in Communal Housing First in Finland
Tracks
English
| Thursday, November 6, 2025 |
| 16:00 - 17:00 |
Details
Housing First (HF) policies have an 80% success rate, but 20% of unhoused people with complex needs remain on the street, in shelters or institutions. Communal Housing First (CHF) programs offer an alternative that align more closely with HF, though they face criticism, often without empirical basis. This study explored how residents and professionals in Helsinki experience CHF as a home. Semi-structured interviews gave voice to residents and professionals, examining themes like home, independence, choice, and support. Residents valued stable housing and newfound independence, though some felt ambivalent about house rules and cohabitation. While CHF ended their homelessness, many desired more autonomy or individualized apartments. Support focused on housing stability and safety, with limited specialized or recovery-focused care. Social support among residents was minimal. Our findings highlight the need for smaller-scale CHF models that better foster a sense of home, independence, and access to meaningful social and professional support.
Speaker
Nienke Boesveldt
Assistant Professor
VU Amsterdam
Experiencing Home in Communal Housing First in Finland
Biography
Dr Nienke Boesveldt researches re-housing of unhoused persons at VU Amsterdam and teaches on unhoused at UvA and Emerson European College. She has lived-experience with being unhoused. Since 2018 she leads a team of university-trained researchers and peer-researchers, of whom some researchers also have lived-experience on mental health/ being unhoused.
Dr. Max Huber is co-head of the research department at HVO-Querido and senior researcher at the Utrecht University of Applied sciences. His research focusses on understanding the influence of the physical and social environment on quality of life of residents in communal housing programs in homeless and mental health care.
