GLASGOW has embarked on a Housing First programme which has taken thousands of people off the streets in Finland.

The Scandinavian country can claim to be the only European nation where homelessness and rough sleeping is falling.

While the big countries of the continent witness a rise particularly among single men and those leaving care and institutions Finland has since the 1980s taken a different approach.

The Housing First model which Glasgow City Council has this month adopted for 64 long term homeless people all who had been living in the Clyde Place hostel and with complex needs including alcohol and drug addiction and mental health issues.

With Wheatley Group who supply the housing, and Social bite who provide funding the council’s Health and Social Care Partnership has embraced Housing First.

In Finland, in 2008, the national programme for ending homelessness was set up. It was decided to scale up the work on homelessness that had been going on since the mid 1980s. The aim was to end homelessness in eight years and halve it in four.

The plan was to purchase 2500 new dwellings and recruit support workers to help the tenants adapt to live in a home of their own.

Instead it bought 3500 new dwellings for long term homeless people employed 300 support workers.

Y Foundation is one of the main partners in Housing First in Finland.

Its Chief Executive, Juha Kaakinen, spoke about the project at a National Homelessness Conference in Australia this year.

He said: “You don’t need to be housing ready. Housing is the foundation for solving your problems.”

Since the programme started in 1987 there has been a huge reduction in homelessness particularly rough sleeping.

There were around 18,000 homeless people in Finland in 1987 which has been reduced to under 7000 in 2016.

The rough sleeping category has fallen from more than 4000 to around 500.

The vast majority of people registered homeless are living with friends or relatives and have no registered home of their own.

They account for almost 6000 of the 7000 homeless total.

The other categories of rough sleeping, homeless families and in institutions ahs been almost eradicated from more than 10,000 in 1987 to fewer than 1000 almost 30 years later.

In Glasgow the programme has started with 54 people given a tenancy and at the same time support to manage their lives.

The Salvation army has been given the contract to provide intensive support to ensure Housing First tenants gain skills required to run a home, such as liaising with utility companies and paying bills.

It also covers assistance with accessing health services, further education, training and employment opportunities.