With Housing First, homeless people should have their own permanent personal space right from the start. They are given a lease and usually a team of volunteers, social and health workers to attend to their needs and help them find work or apply for social assistance.
Finland is the European paragon of this approach and has nearly eliminated homelessness in the country since the project began in 2008. The Finnish Y-Foundation, which is responsible for implementation, is financed by donations and distributions from the state gaming monopoly and currently owns around 17,500 apartments. This makes the foundation the fourth largest landlord in the country. In Germany, a model project started in Berlin in 2018. To date, 80 people have been placed in it – only one notice has had to be given since then.