Homeless people 2021

Homelessness is concentrated in large cities

The number of homeless people living alone in Greater Helsinki has decreased by 329 since 2020. The number fell by 325 in Helsinki. In Espoo and Kouvola, homelessness increased slightly, but in other large cities homelessness decreased.

Long-term homelessness decreased in Helsinki1, Tampere, Jyväskylä, Kuopio and Lahti. Long-term homelessness increased from the previous year in Espoo, Vantaa, Turku and Oulu. In Pori, it remained unchanged.

The highest relative number of homeless people is in Helsinki, where there are 2.2 homeless people per 1,000 residents. The homeless ratio in Espoo is 1.8 and 1.9 in Turku. In relative terms, the lowest number of homeless people is found in Oulu, which has 0.5 per 1,000 inhabitants.

Most homeless people are staying temporarily with friends or relatives

Nearly two-thirds (65 %) of the homeless people living alone were temporarily staying with friends or relatives. The number decreased by 200 from the previous year.

There were 655 people living outside and in stairways and overnight shelters. There were 334 homeless people living in dormitories or hostels. The number of people in these two forms of homelessness now took a downward turn compared to the previous two years, during which the number rose to over 1,200. The number decreased by 221 in 2021 compared to the previous year. The number of people living in institutional units now increased for the second consecutive year, totalling 386 people. This represents an increase of 28 people from the previous year.

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