This is how much Käärijä’s housing benefit costs the residents of Vantaa

The decision of the city of Vantaa to provide an artist For the wrapper i.e. Jere Pöyhönen, 29, a free apartment for a year has been talking a lot in recent days. Now the deputy city manager of Vantaa’s urban environment Tero Anttila tells Iltalehte where the idea came from to offer Käärijä a free apartment.

– The idea started from an interview where Käärijä said he was trying to get out of his 20-square-meter studio apartment. The idea was moved forward because he has emphasized his Vandalism and announced his desire to move back, Anttila reveals to Iltalehte.

– We started to investigate whether there would be a vacant apartment in the city that would interest him. As far as I remember, two pieces were found, one of which he was satisfied with, Anttila elaborates.

The apartment the wrapper gets is a medium-sized triangle without a balcony. Anttila confirms that the rental price of the apartment offered by the city of Vantaa to Käärijä is a little over 1,000 euros.

The decision of the city of Vantaa has already angered many citizens. For example, some have wondered whether it is right to offer a wealthy Käärijä a free apartment for a year, when people who really need it are waiting in a long housing queue.

According to Anttila, the people’s reaction does not change the advantage given to Käärijä by the city of Vantaa, because the decision has already been made and the keys to the apartment have been handed over to the artist. Anttila says that he has even calculated how much the advantage Käärijä receives actually affects Vantaa taxpayers.

– When feedback started coming in, I calculated that it costs about six cents per resident of Vantaa. If the reading is that, it is not a terribly large amount per Vantaa taxpayer, Anttila calculated.

– I dare to say that its monetary value per year is lower than the price at which, for example, several people who have been successful in sports have received plots of land, Anttila adds.

The City of Vantaa’s tributes to the artists of their locality do not end there. In May, the city of Vantaa announced that it intends, among other things, to commission a Käärijä mural for East Vantaa. In addition, at the press conference where Käärijä’s housing benefit was revealed, Pöyhönen received the Vantaa medal in recognition of his significant contributions to the city.