Under international human rights law, everyone has a right to adequate housing, and governments must do all they can to ensure that everyone, without exception, has this right respected protected and fulfilled.
The right to adequate housing entails more than the mere absence of homelessness. For the right to housing to be fulfilled, everyone should be able to live in stable, adequate and affordable housing that enables them to enjoy their other rights and to participate in the society as an equal member.
The austerity policies of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government have had a disproportionate and adverse impact on the enjoyment of economic and social rights, including the right to adequate housing, by disadvantaged and marginalized groups. The cost of disproportionate austerity measures is seen in the negative human rights impact. The cuts to social security benefits, housing allowance, social assistance, social services and housing-related services have been severe and sudden. Housing production for affordable housing is on the decline and a housing shortage is expected. Yet, funding has declined for many of the tools that support production of affordable housing.
The impact is clear, as all of this are on the rise: homelessness; sleeping rough, evictions, housing cost overburden, and the need for housing counselling. The data shows that thousands of people are enduring inadequate housing and homelessness in Finland.
Prime Minister Orpo’s government’s austerity policies have increased the precariousness and unaffordability of housing for a wide range of groups of people from those already marginalised and at risk of discrimination to employed households. The government was aware that cuts to social security benefits will target especially individuals and families in lower income deciles already at the time of drafting the legislative proposals. For instance, the government’s legislative proposal for cutting eligible housing costs in social assistance stated explicitly that the cuts can increase the number of evictions and the need for food aid.
Given expert predictions that the number of people experiencing inadequate housing and loss of housing will likely increase due to experienced economic hardship, the government must take urgent action to address the current situation, as well as in the long-term to ensure the right to adequate housing. Reliance on programmes to eradicate long-term homelessness is not enough, when there is a risk of continued increase of poverty-driven inadequate housing and loss of housing due to austerity measures targeting social security benefits and affordable social housing. Finland must take measures to comply with its obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to adequate housing.
Source: Amnesty International