The department of Social Services and Healthcare of Helsinki has announced that emergency housing will be available year-long for all nationalities, not exclusively for native Finns.
The initiative put forward stated that housing should be offered for traveling communities belonging to nations within the EU, notably Romani people from Bulgaria and Romania.
As it stands, traveling communities have access to housing at the Helsinki Deaconess Institute between October to April. But, this initiative will open up the facility for also the summer months.
It was voted 9–4 in favor of opening up emergency housing throughout the year, with 11-2 agreeing that accommodation should be provided to all nationalities. The next steps are currently in the hands of the Helsinki City Council.
