Jyväskylä housing services face closure as residents await new homes

Housing services for people with substance use problems on Kankitie in Jyväskylä could end in November, Yle reports. Residents are waiting to learn whether they will need to find new homes.

The Jyväskylä Street Mission has terminated its service agreement for the overnight accommodation service because the compensation paid by the Central Finland wellbeing services county is not enough to cover the costs, executive director Sirpa Malin says.

The association could no longer use its own funds to keep the service running. The wellbeing services county and the Street Mission are still negotiating whether the housing services on Kankitie will continue.

The overnight accommodation unit, known as Ensiaskel, has 10 places and accepts people around the clock, including those who are intoxicated. The property also has 50 rental apartments with supported housing intended to help residents manage everyday life.

The around-the-clock staff at the overnight accommodation unit have also looked after residents in the supported housing apartments. If the service does not continue after November, those residents would need to find homes elsewhere, Malin says.

The Street Mission has also given notice to the employees working in the overnight accommodation unit and in supported housing at the Ensiaskel apartments. Based on current information, their last working day will be November 30.

Residents fear they will not find new homes

People who arrive at Kankitie often have no other place to spend the night or no possibility of finding a home on the rental market.

Jape, a Kankitie resident, has managed to find a home elsewhere. In the uncertain situation, he says this has felt like guidance from “the landlord upstairs”. He is worried about the other residents.

Yle uses the residents’ nicknames in the article because revealing their full names could make it more difficult for them to apply for housing.

Jape describes Kankitie as a troubled place to live, particularly at night. He says the night supervision is especially important for people living in supported housing.

“There are all kinds of users here. Safety is at stake. Where would this lead? People could even lose their lives,” he says.

Jape believes the uncertainty about the future has further increased unrest and substance use at Kankitie. Many residents are also worried about finding housing because they have lost their credit records.

Malin cannot say how the residents’ housing will be arranged if the Street Mission and the wellbeing services county fail to reach a new agreement. Each current resident’s situation will be assessed separately.

“There are no other homes”

Ritu has lived on Kankitie for about 10 years, while Juice has lived there for roughly two decades. They now share an apartment and say it is the best place for them.

The thought of losing their home is painful for the couple. The wellbeing services county and the Street Mission are due to negotiate the future of the Kankitie housing services on Thursday.